Press Release: Civic Voice applaud council and community partnership in developing heritage guidance

Malvern Council to work in partnership with local civic societies to draft heritage guidance and identify local heritage assets

Welcoming the news that Malvern Hills District Council has confirmed that it will work in partnership with local civic societies to identify local heritage assets, Dr Freddie Gick, Chair of Civic Voice said:

“Local heritage listing is a means for the community and local authority to come together to identify heritage assets that are valued as distinctive elements of the local historic environment. With the council and community working together at the guidance stage, it will ensure that the community can influence the final document and help decide what buildings should be included. Malvern is demonstrating the leadership that we hope other areas across the country will follow”.

Malvern Hills District Council is committed to working with civic societies in drafting the Local List Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) before working together to identify buildings and historic structures that can be recognised as “Local Heritage Assets”.

Louisa Davidson from Malvern Civic Society said “Malvern Civic Society has had a long-term commitment to securing a local heritage list and we are very keen to collaborate closely with the Malvern Hills Council on this. We now look forward to working with the local community on not only the local list project, but also on our work with the Historic Environment Record Worcestershire and pursuing locally a number of Assets of Community Value which we feel links well with local heritage listing”.

The inclusion of a building on the Local List does not affect the planning rights relating to the building. However, where an application is submitted to the Council for its alteration, extension or demolition, the special interest of the building will be taken into consideration and its Local Listing status will be a consideration when determining the application.

Davidson added “We are thankful to Cllr Tony Penn and Sian Hughes the Conservation Officer who have both been instrumental in getting the authority to this stage.”

Gick finished by saying “We hope other authorities and communities across the country will take the lead from Malvern and start listing local heritage assets and assets of community value.”

NOTES FOR EDITORS
1 Civic Voice is the national charity for the civic movement. We work to make the places where everyone lives more attractive, enjoyable and distinctive and to promote civic pride. We speak up for civic societies and local communities across England. We believe everyone should live somewhere they can be proud of and we know how people feel about places because we feel the same way. Civic societies are the most numerous participants in the planning system. Since its launch in April 2010 Civic Voice has been joined by over 290 civic societies with 75,000 members. Further information is available at http://www.civicvoice.org.uk including how to join Civic Voice (£10 individuals) and contact details for local civic societies.
2 The local list identifies heritage assets (principally buildings) that are valued locally for their architecture and/or historic value, but which are not of sufficient importance to warrant national statutory listing (i.e. grade I, II* and II.)
3 The National planning policy framework (2012) describes a heritage asset as “a building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest.” The term ‘heritage asset’ includes designated heritage assets and assets identified by the local planning authority (including local listing). The NPPF advises local authorities that in assessing proposals which only have local heritage status (“non-designated assets”) “a balanced judgement will be required having regard to the scale of any harm or loss and the significance of the heritage asset.” (NPPF paragraph 135).

Further information:
Ian Harvey .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) T 0151 707 4319 / 07877096968 T @civic_voice
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