4 EDITORIAL SWIMMING AGAINST THE TIDE? It would always be useful to have just a little reliable foresight. By the time this editorial appears we will know from the Queen's Speech if, in the next session of Parliament, the Government will introduce its Deregulation Bill and perhaps what additional 'freedoms' we may enjoy. With freedom must come responsibility and a strong and well directed sense of the collective good of the community. There is not much evidence of such common responsibility and self-restraint in conservation areas. bring the whole enforcement regime in to line with the revised planning powers has been ascribed to no more than a lack of parliamentary time. Now is that time, but it is likely to be legislation against the tide. No-one wants incompetent, irrelevant or redundant regulations. However, where laws are desirable, but have been seen not to work, the first question to ask is whether they could be improved rather than whether they should be abandoned. It may seem as perverse in some quarters that at the very moment when the Government feels we should be less regulated (for some illusory short term economic gain - which the PPG rightly deplores), there is clamour for more regulation. This relates in particular to the protection of the built environment - not only professionals but also the very citizens the Government seeks ro liberate are pressing for further controls. The recent consultation paper on controls in conservation areas may have seemed timely, but, reading it, there has been a sense of a Government acting like a short-tempered or distracted parent faced with a noisy, troublesome and wearying small child who has asked repeatedly for a forbidden sweetie. The Government is clearly reluctant to regulate in any way which will impede 'economic recovery' but what heritage will we have left if it fails to strengthen the powers which have been clearly and irrefutably demonstrated to lack real teeth? Our enforcement powers lack teeth. The failure to offer any really useful advice on them m the draft PPG and the continued failure to 'MEDIAEVAL HOUSES OF WILTSHIRE' Several readers have asked where this excellent publication can be obtained following Alan Taylor's review in the last issue ( Context 39, page 42). Those interested should contact Wiltshire Buildings Record, clo County Library & Museums Service, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge, Wilts. Tel: (0225) 753641 ext 2718 (and open to the public on Tuesdays). 19TH CENTURY BOOKS ON BUILDING CONSTRUCTION It is proposed to republish books on building construction from the 19th century, many of which will be of great interest to Conservation Officers, and many now either out of print or too precious or expensive for every day reference. New reprints are promised 1n good-quality hardback editions. If ACO members would like to suggest suitable titles they would like to see made available or want further information, they should contact: Alan Hardiman, 3 Mount Beacon, Bath BAI 5QP. Tel: (0225) 424647. GARDEN STATUESAND ORNAMENTS SURVEY Within the last five years the theft of garden statues has risen from virtually nil to being nearly 50% of art thefts in this country. The loss of statues and ornaments to formal gardens, particularly those of the 17th century, and to early landscape gardens, has been disastrous. Furthermore, the effect of the weather on stone statuary is almost as destructive as burglars yet the majority of owners do little to protect them against either theft or frost. A survey conducted by Edward Fawcett for ICOMOS UK and sponsored by Haddonstone Ltd has been carried out and this, together with information to help owners with protection measures, has now been published. Copies are available from ICOMOS UK, I O Barley Mow Passage, London W4 4HP, price £6.50 (£4.00 to ICOMOS members). TYNE & WEAR'S FIRSTANNUAL Conservation Officers have never been particularly strong on self promotion, doing their job quietly and efficiently. Now more than ever the 'mission to explain' is being conducted as much within other parts of local government as ourside. The Tyne & Wear Specialist Conservation Team (based within the Planning Department of Newcastle City Council) has recently published its first Annual Report documenting its activities in the felds of historic buildings, archaeology and industrial archaeology. The intention is ro inform members and officers of the five City and District Councils on Tyne and Wearside of the quality and quantity of the skills and expertise available and to make the work undertaken more widely known. Further details and copies of the Report from Ian Ayris at Newcastle City Council. Tel: 091-232 8520 ext 6151. CONSERVATION LEAFLETS East Hertfordshire District Council is maintaining its corn prehensive programme of excellent illustrated A4 leaflets with issues eight and nine in the series on Shopfronts and Advertising and Brick Repainting and Repair. Further details from: Sue Rawlings, EHDC Planning Department, PO Box I 02, Wallfields, Pegs Lane, Heriford SGl3 SEQ. Tel: (0279) 655261. THREE IMPORTANT EDITORIAL INITIATIVES From the Spring of next year we hope to produce a short Interim Newsletter between issues of Context. This will enable us to keep you better informed of news, views and forthcoming events; the work of the ACO Council and Committees; Branch activities (?); the debate about Institute status; responses to consultations and other matters. Some of the ACO business may move from Context to the Newsletter depending on the practicality of the goal we have set ourselves. Whether it's true that life begins at 40, it was felt appropriate that we should produce an index of the content of those first 40 issues to help you find all those hidden gems of utterly useful information in Context. Richard Morrice has been diligently working through the back copies and we hope to inform you of progress in the next issue. Lastly, many contributors prepare their copy on word processors and it should be possible to supply the text as floppy disc copy (which could be returned) as well as the printed text. Discs could be 3.5" or 5.25" although the former would be preferred, but not 3" Amstrad discs which are not an industry standard. Text can be read onto disc from almost all word processing programs in a suitable format known as ASCII - American National StandardCode for Information Interchange (or 'Askey files' for short). This would save having to typeset it twiceand be more efficient. We think a reliable and efficient systemcan be devised and we will circulatedetails via the Branch Reps and to regular contributors shortly. COVER STORY Our cover photo shows one small aspect of the outstanding redecoration of Newark Town Hall originally by John Carr of York (I 77 4-6) and now listed Grade I. The recent renovation won a Europa Nostra Diploma of Merit. Philip Grover, the Newark & Sherwood District Council Conservation Officer, describes the work in this issue. CONTEXT40
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