Reforms Needed To Protect Our Historic Buildings
15 Nov 2006
The nation’s historic buildings face a future of stagnation and underuse without radical changes to the role of Historic Scotland and the management of our built heritage, according to the latest research paper from the Policy Institute.
In “Old Stones in a New Setting: Breathing New Life Into Scotland’s Built Heritage” Tom Miers argues for less regulation and a bigger role for local authorities and private organisations in the management of Scotland’s historic buildings.
Miers, executive director of the Policy Institute, argues that because conservation of historic buildings is a low priority for voters, the Scottish Executive often fails to respond to public preferences on funding and regulation of the sector. The recent controversy surrounding Historic Scotland’s refusal to support the renovation of Castle Tioram in Moidart is a classic example of central bureaucracy clashing with popular preference and private initiative.
In the paper, introduced by Professor Sir Alan Peacock, former chairman of the Scottish Arts Council, Miers calls for a more flexible, innovative and less bureaucratic system of funding and management for Scotland’s built heritage.
Miers said: “It’s time to enlist the private sector to share its expertise and inventiveness both in managing sites and encouraging and educating the public to take an interest in built heritage. Historic Scotland would play a reduced and less contentious role as guardian of monuments and historic buildings of truly national importance. It would be encouraged to attract private investment so that its own funds could stretch wider to invest in new sites so far neglected.”
He added: “The heritage sector should be exposed to innovation, experimentation and change, and government, local and national, should be more accountable for its decisions in this area of policy.”