English Heritage Conservation Area At Risk Report-Double Glazing or Double Standards

Here is one that fell down earlier while English Heretics are trying to do a public relations exercise. See Nemesis blog for another view. http://nemesisrepublic.blogspot.com/2009/06/conservation-areas-at-risk-well-that.html


http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/upvc-windows-killing-conservation-areas/5203935.article

http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/search/label/Ferry%20Terminal A huge double glazed dormer window on the Pier Head. Where was EH then.

Call me cynical but isn't it strange that this press release from EH is the exact day that Unesco start their World Heritage Committee meeting in Seville.


Today's Daily Post says that English Heritage are now going to stop those nasty plastic windows in Conservation areas. Liverpool's Pier Head was a Conservation area!!!! Look what they allowed there!!!!

The picture on the right shows how the integration makes the old look alien in Duke Street part of the WHS. We do not have to worry about plassy windows on the one on the left because English Heritage allowed it to fall down.

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-life-features/music/music-news/2009/06/23/english-heritage-report-lists-merseyside-s-historic-sites-at-risk-92534-23947259/ Vicky Anderson says
English Heritage report lists Merseyside's historic sites at risk.
HISTORIC and distinctive sites across Merseyside have been deemed "at risk", according to the latest report by English Heritage – an extensive survey of the country’s protected conservation areas.
From Churchtown, just outside Southport, to the iconic Hamilton Square, in Birkenhead, much-loved areas of the region make the list.
In Liverpool, Sefton Park, Wavertree Village and the city centre Ropewalks area around Seel Street are among the places shown to be in trouble.
Just over half of the North West’s local authorities (53%) completed questionnaires on their conservation areas – places designated to protect their special character and appearance – to give a full picture of the state they are in.
The aim of the campaign, English Heritage says, is to get residents, local groups and councils working together to improve them before it is too late.
Top threats are such seemingly innocuous problems as plastic windows and doors, general alterations, and satellite dishes spoiling the look of buildings, as well as general street clutter and poorly maintained roads, pavements and traffic management measures.
But the 2009 Heritage at Risk register gives details of more than 5,000 nationally designated sites at risk of neglect, decay or "inappropriate change".
Its findings show that statistically, 5.1% (103) of Grade I and II* buildings in the North West are at risk, as are 15.1% (198) of its scheduled monuments and 3.9% (5) of the registered parks and gardens.
On Merseyside, English Heritage holds up Seel Street’s Ropewalks area and Birkenhead’s Hamilton Square as the two areas in most urgent need of help.
Seel Street was established in the mid-18th century.
The decline of the docks 200 years later was reflected in the growing levels of vacancy and consequent decay. Despite action including Urgent Works Notices, long-term ownership challenges have also trapped buildings in a circle of neglect.




Wayne Colquhoun, chairman of Liverpool Preservation Trust, said: "It’s really good to highlight things like this, but really, it’s more about knuckling down and sorting out problems, providing the cash and the expertise to make a difference.
"There are greater problems than plastic windows and satellite dishes – some parts of Seel Street look like they precede the years after the war.
"What English Heritage need to get to grips with is Liverpool’s historic buildings and the way they have allowed the infill of new build to make the old buildings look alien in their own environment." Liverpool City Council’s conservation officer, Chris Griffiths, said: "This at- risk register is very useful to bring people’s attention to question the value of local distinctiveness and heritage.
"I think what English Heritage want to do is bring about a sea change in the culture of how conservation areas are maintained. I’m quite surprised that Sefton Park is deemed to be at risk. Shaw Street has some listed buildings at risk and Wavertree Village has a lot of plastic windows."
Liverpool has 36 conservation areas according to the city council, with eight of them making the at risk register.
In Wirral, English Heritage says Hamilton Square – the largest, Grade I Listed, Victorian square outside London – faces an "uncertain future" due to what it describes as the under-use of buildings, including the recent closure of the museum in the town hall. But local support is strong, with public interest groups and Wirral Borough Council working together in recent years to combat the decline.
Cllr Jerry Williams, the borough’s "heritage Champion", said: "Wirral has embraced the conservation strategy very well and there are over 40 local history societies working in partnership with the council to promote them.
"From a heritage point of view, Wirral is firing on all cylinders, and Hamilton Square is of massive importance, so we are watching this situation very carefully. There are a number of initiatives planned by heritage groups to revive the area, like history trails."
Dr Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage, said: "Millions of us live in, work in, pass through or visit conservation areas. They are the centres of historic towns and villages, 1930s suburbs, rural idylls or estates of industrial workers’ cottages: the local heritage that gives England its distinctiveness.
"These are difficult economic times but Our research shows that conservation areas do not need time-consuming or costly measures, just prioritising as places people cherish, the commitment of the whole council and good-management by residents and councils alike.
"Well-cared for they encourage good neighbourliness, give a boost to the local economy and will continue to be a source of national pride and joy for generations to come."