C O N T E X T 1 2 1 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 1 15 IHBC Annual School Annual School 2011 School 2011 IHBC An 2011 IHBC Annual S IHBC Annual School School 2011 IHBC IHBC Annual Scho particularly in the current and foreseeable climate. Transferring assets to the local community could tap to local enthusiasm, create buy-in and attract grants. Successful transfers could help to achieve the regeneration of a neighbourhood, and to release potential efficiency savings for local authorities. Urbed was asked to prepare guidance on asset transfer based on the experience gained by English Heritage and the DevelopmentTrusts Association (AssetTransfer Unit). The report Pillars of the Community was published in 2010. The guidance covers a range of issues and sets out the transfer process in nine steps, summarised as follows: 1. Taking stock: Local authorities own a wide range of heritage assets.They can carry out a triage approach to identify vacant or under-used heritage assets suitable for transfer to the community. 2. Formulating strategies for transfer: Transferring ownership takes time and resources, so it helps if the local authority has a strategy and clear procedures in place. Some councils, such as Portsmouth, have drawn up policies. 3. Assessing options for use: Community ownership can help generate imaginative, suitable new uses for heritage assets. 4. Developing support for the project: It may be appropriate for a building preservation trust or development trust to acquire the asset and manage the project, in partnership with a local group. 5. Addressing the risks: It is essential to have a realistic estimate of the demand for appropriate uses, as well as the related costs of repair, refurbishment or conversion. 6. Agreeing terms: The terms of transfer need to strike a balance between the financial interests of the local authority and securing social, economic or environmental benefits for the community. Councils are allowed to sell at less than market value, provided that the transfer will help the ‘wellbeing’ of the area. 7. Building an effective organisation: Where communities take on responsibility for an asset, it is vital that they work with the local authority towards clearly defined objectives. 8. Raising finance: Besides loans from banks, it is possible to create a funding cocktail of government grant schemes, lottery funds, private donors, charitable trusts and foundations. Time will be required to put funding bids together, so a realistic timetable is crucial. 9. Maintaining long-term viability: Community organisations need robust and realistic business plans from the outset. David Kincaid Localism, the Big Society and the historic environment The talk by Tony Burton, director of Civic Voice, focused on localism and the contribution that communities can make to the planning system, and how the proposed changes in legislation and the Big Society would become a vehicle for this change. Burton showed how community energy was inspiring projects throughout the UK. The talk outlined the role of the Civic Voice in England, helping people get involved in their communities, and highlighting the skills and knowledge they hold. He recalled that Margaret Mead, the 20th-century American cultural anthropologist, wrote: ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the Nicholas Falk and Tony Burton
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