5. 4. Statement: Historic Environment Policy and Legislation

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:58 pm on 4 July 2017.

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Photo of Ken Skates Ken Skates Labour 3:58, 4 July 2017

Yes. Can I thank the Member for his contribution and his questions? I agree that it’s my fault that the consent regime for scheduling monuments and listing buildings in transparent, it’s open to scrutiny and that it’s transparent, and for that reason we’ve endeavoured to make sure that those who could be affected by the scheduling of a monument or the listing of a building do have the ability to seek a review. Now, it’s absolutely essential in turn, as the Member outlined, that that review process is independent, and so for that reason we would expect the Planning Inspectorate to make a decision in the case of a review to ensure that there is independence, and that there is a safe separation of responsibilities from Cadw.

As far as the consultation on further work that is going to be undertaken is concerned, I think I outlined in my statement that I believe that we need to consult as widely as possible across the sector, and that includes not just experts but also people who could be affected. I think it’s absolutely vital that owners and occupiers of historic buildings have an opportunity to contribute to the debate, the discussion and, ultimately, to legislation if it should be brought forward.

In terms of gardens and parks and the list of historic parks and gardens, we believe there are nearly 400 of these across Wales. The work that’s taken place to date has involved a huge number of owners and occupiers. The aim of the list is to ensure that we have a substantial and exhaustive historic record of all parks and gardens in Wales. Enforcement is a more difficult issue for us to deal with because often enforcement cannot be delivered in a way that is full and fair for owners, given that historic parks and gardens are susceptible to climatic change where they may not responsible for incidents or for degradation of a park or a garden. This was something that was considered—an enforcement regime and protection—but it was thought to be too difficult to manage in a similar way to the proposals for legal protection for historic place names. Actually making sure that something is proportionate and deliverable is essential, but with regard to historic parks and gardens, it was thought that such action may not be deliverable.