C O N T E X T 1 7 4 : D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 21 THE IHBC AT 25 Social value is inherently harder to quantify. However, polling shows that heritage offers a strong source of local pride, helping to entrench the emotional connection people have with the places where they live, work and grow up. Many of us were keenly aware of the recreational value of gardens and outdoor public spaces during the pandemic. The inquiry heard how restoring and finding new uses for treasured local landmarks can help to bolster a distinct sense of place. These landmarks provide focal points within their local communities, which can provide valuable venues for hosting social projects, such as food banks. For example, the inquiry heard that Leeds’ Edwardian Bramley Baths is once again a hub for local health and well-being for its inner-city community after being threatened with closure by the local authority. The geographical ubiquity of heritage means that it can be a powerful tool for regenerating left-behind areas. Working with the grain of heritage, rather than following a blank-sheet approach to redevelopment, can create regeneration projects with a strong sense of local character that can help to attract investment. Refurbishment can provide valuable work for the construction sector, particularly smaller firms, which are more likely to take on this kind of project than larger volume builders. Building on these findings, TheValue of Heritage report proposes a series of recommendations to maximise the contribution of heritage to the economy. These include: • Using the UK’s post-Brexit freedoms to set VAT rates to introduce a targeted harmonisation of the rate for new construction and refurbishment of existing properties, in order to encourage works to instal insulation and low-carbon heating systems in listed buildings. • Establishing a presumption in the planning system against the demolition of buildings. • Targeting levelling-up and regeneration funding to historic areas. • Providing elected mayors and combined authorities with greater control over such funding streams. • Introducing an amnesty for zero-carbon energy efficiency upgrades to some of the oldest and most precious historic buildings. Finding fresh uses for old buildings can help to modernise and adapt our historic places for the needs of the 21st century, and for new patterns of work and recreation that have emerged in the wake of the pandemic. Rather than forming a barrier to regeneration and economic development, heritage can be a powerful driver for generating activity across the UK and supporting the government’s levelling-up agenda. David Blackman, a journalist, has led in the establishment of the CPP APPG, and continues to support its work, on behalf of its secretariat, the IHBC. St Mary’s Church, Tenby. The National Churches Trust estimates that every pound invested in church buildings generates £3.74 worth of social return on investment.
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