The Better Bath Forum

red-arrowPast meeting

Saturday, 18 April 2009
Building of Bath Collection, Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel, The Vineyards, The Paragon, Bath BA1 5NA

Bath's World Heritage Status

> Initial bulletin and information (posted) > Conclusions of the discussion (below) > Proponent's response (posted) > Comments on the response (posted)

red-arrowConclusions

BetterBath Forum Fifth Meeting 18 April 2009
 Conclusions
The fifth BetterBath meeting discussed Bath’s World Heritage status. The opening presentation from David Beeton, Chairman of Bath’s World Heritage Steering Group, outlined the challenges involved in managing this exceptionally complex World Heritage Site. Euan Cresswell of Westmark gave a developer’s perspective, highlighting the problems caused by lack of certainty about what would constitute acceptable design in a World Heritage city.
The key themes which emerged from a wide-ranging discussion were:
  1. Bath needs to be acknowledged as the most important World Heritage Site in the United Kingdom, and requires a new and energetic programme to cherish, protect and promote it.
  2. All sectors of the community in Bath need to understand, own and take pride in the Outstanding Universal Values which underpin the city’s World Heritage designation.
  3. We need to generate and sustain a much higher level of political priority for Bath’s heritage, both locally and nationally.
  4. A comprehensive set of planning policies and guidance is needed to translate the Outstanding Universal Values into clear and accepted standards governing future development.
  5. Day-to-day management and maintenance of the World Heritage city needs to be greatly improved, especially traffic management, cleanliness and the public realm.
  6. It is essential to look to the future as well as the past, in particular by providing modern workspaces and employment opportunities for our young people, and identifying appropriate ways to improve the energy efficiency of historic buildings.
  7. Action is needed nationally to persuade central Government that a one-size-fits-all approach to setting targets for growth is inappropriate for a World Heritage City.
 
Conclusion 1                                  (Action Recipient: David Beeton)
The meeting welcomed the work on sustainable world heritage and citizenship which the Bath Preservation Trust and B&NES have recently launched with local schools and considered that this should be extended to cover adults as well as schoolchildren, and to encompass better interpretation for visitors. The World Heritage Steering Group should ensure that a comprehensive education and interpretation programme is developed, and monitor its implementation and effectiveness.
 
Conclusion 2              (Action Recipient: Cllr Malcolm Hanney)
The meeting was disappointed that only two Councillors attended this discussion, and considered that this was symptomatic of the current level of political indifference to Bath’s heritage. Other examples of low political priority were quoted, including the very limited extent to which the WHS Management Plan has been implemented; the fact that the income from the Roman Baths is not ploughed back into maintaining the city’s heritage; and the inadequate accommodation for the city’s exceptionally valuable Archives.  The Management Plan is due to be reviewed in 2009. The Council should give an undertaking that, following this review, adequate resources will be made available to implement the WHS Management Plan properly. They should also ensure that as part of the project to relocate the Council’s offices, suitable accommodation is found in Bath for the Archive Department. 
 
Conclusion 3                 ( Action Recipient: Cllr Charles Gerrish)
The meeting heard about the problems caused by lack of clarity about what was and was not acceptable in terms of architectural design, and about other local authorities which have made use of the resources of local voluntary organisations to develop a more comprehensive suite of planning policies than Bath currently has. The Council should use the expertise available within the Bath Preservation Trust and other local organisations to develop planning policies which will protect Bath’s historic environment and to provide clear guidance on design standards.
 
Conclusion 4                 (Action recipient: Cllr Terry Gazzard)
One speaker queried the desirability of development within the city, while another felt that offices as well as retail space should have been provided in the new SouthGate. The majority view appeared to be that sustainable development was necessary to create new job opportunities to replace the manufacturing which had generated much of Bath’s prosperity in the past. The London Road was mentioned as an area ripe for improvement, where there was a need for investment to rectify past planning failures, and potential for local people to take pride in the heritage of the area as the historic gateway to the city. The Council’s plans for regeneration in Bath should include initiatives to improve areas such as the London Road.
 
Conclusion 5                  (Action Recipient: Cllr Charles Gerrish)
The meeting noted the controversy attached to some aspects of the Bath Transport Package but endorsed the urgent need to reduce the adverse impact of vehicles on the historic city. There was whole-hearted agreement on the need to improve the cleanliness of the city centre and to deal more effectively with maintenance problems. Bath should not be the world headquarters for broken paving slabs. The Council needs to review its street sweeping and pavement washing operations to bring the cleanliness of the heritage areas of Bath up to the highest Government standard by the end of 2010.  The Council should begin a programme of renewal and maintenance which will see all broken and uneven paving slabs in the heritage areas of Bath replaced by the end of 2010.
 
Conclusion 6                             (Action Recipient: Sam Holliday)
The meeting welcomed the Bath Chronicle’s ‘Pride in Bath’ campaign and noted that the Chronicle has a strong track record in engaging the local community. The Bath Chronicle should work with the World Heritage Steering Group and other local organisations to help to create a better understanding of the heritage which makes Bath so special.

red-arrowDownloads & Resources

BBF Conclusions 18 May 2009133kbsWordDownload
David Beeton presentation46kbsWordDownload
Chronicle reports of April 2009 meeting1.15mbsPDFDownload

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