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Heritage

I finish with three brief points that the report deals with. It recommends that the merger and replacement of planning policy guidance on the historic environment and archaeology should be undertaken without delay after the publication of the heritage White Paper. However, the Government’s response suggested that amendments may be made to PPG15 in respect of the listing of buildings, but not until some years after the legislation, leaving a hiatus of five, six or—who knows? —seven years. Five-year delay or not, why should PPG16 on archaeology not also be updated? Many issues could be considered—for example, the requirement that archaeological work must be undertaken by an accredited professional. Perhaps the definition of archaeological assets could be widened to include artefact scatters and paleo-environmental deposits. Perhaps class consents could be looked at again. It has been thought that once a scheduled ancient monument has been ploughed, the damage is done and no more harm will occur. In fact, ploughing causes incremental damage every time it takes place and archaeological material previously below the danger zone gets brought up into it each time ploughing takes place. The Shimizu decision has already been discussed; I hope that the Minister will give an assurance that the simplification of procedures for conservation areas will not lead to a watering-down of protection, and that a resolution to the Shimizu decision will be reached rapidly without undermining heritage protection. VAT on repairs has also been discussed. The current VAT regime encourages damaging alterations and the neglect of building maintenance, encouraging demolition and the loss of important historical assets and community locales. The Government should take action to create a scheme analogous to the listed places of worship grant scheme or extend that scheme to secular buildings and refund the VAT on the maintenance of historic assets. In conclusion, heritage is an essential national asset, critical to our economy and tourism industry. It consistently features among the top reasons why visitors choose to come to the UK. It is highly important in developing strong local communities and local identity and in aiding regeneration. Heritage is not elitist, but extremely popular; 70 per cent. of adults visit historic locations. More than a million people supported the ““History Matters—pass it on”” campaign last year. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport must make the heritage sector a higher priority in the Government, both by emphasising its importance across Government Departments and fighting with the Treasury for better funding. The heritage protection review will greatly improve planning guidance, maintenance agreements with owners and community engagement with heritage, but it must be given the necessary legislative strength and funding to enable it to fulfil its potential. Good planning requires community involvement and consideration of broad issues of community well-being. The heritage White Paper could deliver that, but DCMS must fight its own case against others in the Government who seek to water down planning protections and speed up decisions for the benefit of business rather than that of communities.