'.£1hoCommission is giving thought to its policies for the futu..Te, with top priority to new activities in areas where g:::·eat improvements are· l6oked for rather than in, for example, historic building grants where a coherent policy is already thought to existe Both this and the AM side is being looked at, but the concentration is on Education, on Presentation a."'ld Interpretation, on Marketing a..n.d Trading an.d on Gardens - where the Commission has a duty to prepaT"e lists of historic gardens. Working Groups have been established as short-term thj_nktan.ks to re_po:i... t ·b3r 31 I~a.reh¥ c.ompris~ ~ng specialists in each field from inside and_ outside the DoE. The five WPfs are Marketing & 1rradi1:.g (Sec.J. Re;yr.olds DoE 2 Ma.rsham Sto) Education (1ftrs A.llea,th 25 Savile Row) Presentation & Interpretation (MoWebber MS) Ancient Monv.I!!ents (Dr. SeJohnson SR) Histor:i.c Buildings at Risk (D.Steele SR) ·Ideas are welcome. r11he idcm'li ty of the GommissicH:1 ·11egins to take shape, and it aims fo:r P~ long- ·, term 1•eputa.tion founded on excellence o In the short-term it has to become recoe;nj_sable by l J\.pril, and. a ieading dei:,ign consultant will be appointed to d;sign a lot':2:0 und possibly a publication house style. '.i:he Wol'king Party for Historic Buildings-·at Risk met on 19 January under the Chairmanship of Alan Be!Ill·ose of Derbyshire -has founded the BRITISH Buildings Preservation Trust! - with Ronald Brunskill, John Newman and Christophe~ Pratt (all HBC) and To~y Scott -· GPO Dw:-ham, and Ch. DPO' s Soc. Topic Cttee.for Concervation, tipped fer H3l'•:C:- 2,-';'tentied by. Brian .fln.thony 1 J:im Road, Maur-jce Hu~r1;1an (HBB), Mrs Phillips and David Steele (Sec~) of DoE t) i}' te:rview Pa.u:! :Dav:Les ( Civic 1r1°ut,t), Ken Ba.rton (Dog North), Derek Lathan: (Ar chi tcct of Derby & to DJ3P'l') and Mike Pearce (Hampshire BPT ... but speaking up for ACO). Questions wero: How can a systematic jntelligence system be s0t up and kept up to d,1te. 'l1hc ma.in sour-- ces of informn:tion~ Costu·, : P1·ioritics?: How best to sot a1)out rescu~1g a building that has been identified as naeding urgent help? . : Relations with owners especially relucta.."'1.t 01-mers or those asking 1.mrealistic prices? : The balance betw-• een voluntary effort and offj_cial guidance or help?. 'l.1110 answers, f'rom our point of view, were forn1 a partnership with the .. local authorities -there are channels ·of communication available, even in Lincolnshire which was mentioned, antl look for ways of using HJ3MC grant funds to back up its influence to SUl)i')OJ'.'t a.nd encourage LPA I s to tackle the problems, having first produced locally !.'"- J.is t of bui ldi:ng.:;1 at risk& That doefl not mean having 1.,0 su.r,.rey every building! Unf'ortunately, it seems the IIBMC is tied. in. offering grants - as the DoE was on the advice of the HBC - to existing legislation. Either the building has to be outsta.11.d-- ing (-@-of the mone;;r to 2% Grade I or +5% including II* at the moment) or j_n Conservation .A:reas (S1O or 'J1own Schemes). 37 of Sch.4 of the HHAct83 talks al)out grants to LA I s for acquisitions co:npulr30r:i.ly or by aereemen t, and "any· expensesli. Is thei-0 scope here 9 or w:ill :i.t need an amend.ment tacked onto so1~1esuitable Hil.1.'? ;foere was clearly some sy·mpathy fo1· at least looking at the actual distribution a.nd use of (HBC) grants so far. Much valuable work has undoubtedly been done, but do the '1fo'ur towns" st:i.11 need so much, and should S4 grants be such a high average, and have not most of the buildings in the older town schemes been repaired at least once, and. would not SOME grants linked to a IJ-\. response produce greater dividends ~nd local self-help efforts? It is intorecting to find thats apa.rt from 'l1yne & Wear a:n.d CleveJ.i:U'ld t:ii0 \ihole o[ the Mid.lands and the North of England. can . be dj_stinguished bctwGen those which~· on ::i,verae;e, ha.ve EITHEH a big1H~-" th<·.E avera.ge rate of dcmoJ.i tion applications OR a. higJ1er than average rate of il':BG grants accepted. J.i'ood for though•t! • ~ \\ ~\r~-\ r,;~) \ \ lJl!!G') l _.. '· i,..&~,.,\... .,,,,. \__ .... ..i --
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