Print

Conservation, conservation, conservation

Catherine Deshayes

English Heritage has revealed its list of 20 of the best conservation-led development schemes in England...

It is championing the projects that have made the list and said all 20 projects show 'the relationship between heritage and development professionals and an approach to saving heritage called Constructive Conservation.'

The projects, revealed in a book by English Heritage book called Constructive Conservation in Practice include Kings Cross Central in London, The Molineux Hotel in Wolverhampton and The Bluecoat in Liverpool.

English Heritage unveiled the list at the Commonwealth Institute which developer Chelsfield Partners is to redevelop.

Steve Bee, Director of Planning and Development at English Heritage, said, "The heritage and development sectors have recognised that they can be a real asset to each other.

"In some cases historic buildings would have been lost if it were not for progressive and imaginative developers and conservation experts working together in this new way. English Heritage has provided the clear, objective information that developers need in order to make regeneration a success in their own terms.'

He added, "Conservation has changed - it is collaborative, reasonable and precise. Five years ago there was no way to achieve this confidence. These sites would have seemed too risky or too confrontational for investment, and would have rotted away.

"By working collaboratively with English Heritage and local authorities at pre-application stages, these development schemes have benefited from a constructive approach to conservation.

"The resulting schemes are not just commercially successful, they have added distinctiveness and meaning to the places in which we live," added Mr Bee.

English Heritage led the fight to save the once threatened Commonwealth Institute and Mr Bee said, "Buildings this important deserve imagination and creativity to bring them back to life. The Institute does not yet feature in this book, but I expect we will soon be able to hold it up as another exemplar of conservation-led development.'

The 20 heritage-led development schemes are:

London
Kings Cross Central, London
Crystal Palace, London
Clore Learning Centre, Hampton Court, London Regent Palace Hotel, London

South East
Royal Clarence Yard, Gosport
Graylingwell Hospital, Chichester

South West
Princesshay, Exeter
Lake Shore Development, Bristol
Bayshill House, Cheltenham

East of England
West Front, Bury St Edmunds Abbey, Suffolk Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh

East Midlands
The Roundhouse, Derby

West Midlands
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Molineux Hotel, Wolverhampton

North West
The Midland Hotel, Morecambe
The Bluecoat, Liverpool
Gorton Monastery, Manchester
Blencowe Hall, Penrith

Yorkshire
Park Hill, Sheffield

North East
Cooper's Studios, Newcastle

Source: www.propertyweek.com