C O N T E X T 1 0 7 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 8 15 Ireland hospitality and cooking at its very best from Balloo’s chef Danny Miller, who got through to the recent BBCTV finals of ‘Great British Menu’. On the Thursday afternoon, council held its meeting at the Malone Lodge Hotel, where council members were staying. This is on Eglantine Avenue within the Malone Conservation Area and close to Queen’s Conservation Area. The location provided council members with the opportunity to see and experience first hand the pressures that Northern Ireland’s conservation areas are under. This was to be the subject of detailed discussion in the planned walking tour on the Friday afternoon. The Thursday evening provided beautiful weather for IHBC council members to stroll in stunning Hillsborough Village, which is a conservation area, within Lisburn City Council’s boundary. This was followed by a reception at the government residence Hillsborough Castle. Newly elected IHBC president Eddie Booth welcomed the guests. Our special guest speaker was minister for the environment SammyWilson MP MLA. Minister Wilson, who was appointed earlier this year, has already demonstrated his practical commitment to heritage conservation. This includes taking steps to preserve the listed Sion Mills stable block (County Tyrone), with the department finally serving an urgent works notice. The condition of this property has been causing concern to the local community for over 20 years. Back in the Throne Room at Hillsborough Castle the minister’s speech was followed by a presentation by the ever-helpful David Anderson, curator of Hillsborough Castle. Most important, the reception provided council members with the opportunity to meet those involved in conservation in the province, together with assembly members, including from its environment committee and local dignitaries. The reception was followed by a fabulous dinner in the Small Dining Room of the Castle in the company of Minister Wilson. The final day of the three days of events saw the fully booked conference at Malone House. The ‘Conserving Historic Places’ conference was aimed at supporting building conservation professionals and the voluntary and community sector. In addition to national council members and members of the Northern Ireland IHBC Branch, the IHBC were delighted to have the presence of the chief commissioner of the Planning Appeals Commission, Maire Campbell; the senior built heritage staff from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency; and all the Northern Ireland Planning Service’s conservation officers. At city council level was Colin McClintock, director of environmental services for Lisburn City Council. Colin has just overseen the restoration of its Castle Gardens, with the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) as major partner, also in attendance. Guests from other parts of the United Kingdom were able to enjoy the stunning setting of the Malone House in Barnett’s Demesne, with its views across the Lagan Valley Regional Park and all in the uncharacteristic sunny weather. IHBC director Seán O’Reilly set the scene for the day conference, and outlined the ethical approach and standards of the institute. Expanding on this, Sharon Brown explained how the requirements of IHBC membership ensured that professionals had the skills and competencies required to conserve historic places. Sharon emphasised that, to achieve a positive outcome for the conservation of our heritage, specialist knowledge and expertise needed to be accompanied by a professional commitment to achieving this, rather than the opposite. The conference was consummately chaired by the institute’s vice-chairman Sheila Stones, whose meticulous time-keeping benefitted everyone. The guest speaker was Cynthia Smith, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Planning Service, who spoke on the important of the role of the service in conserving historic places. Cynthia outlined the department’s current policy framework for the conservation of the province’s historic places and in particular emphasised the value of the Regional Development Strategy (adjusted June 2008). Cynthia highlighted the role of her conservation officers, now in post, in conserving Northern Ireland’s historic places. The value of officials within the Planning Service exclusively dedicated to conservation can not be underestimated. In a recent meeting with Cynthia Smith, the IHBC made the case for a dedicated building conservation post, ideally at management board level, to champion the conservation of Northern Ireland’s historic places within the Northern Ireland Planning Service. Regarding funding for the conservation and enhancement of Northern Ireland’s conservation areas, Cynthia explained that this was currently channelled through the Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) in conjunction with the Heritage Lottery Fund. Nick Brown, Northern Ireland branch chairman and recently appointed projects advisor for Northern Ireland for the Prince’s Regeneration Trust, elaborated on this. Nick’s presentation on heritage-led regeneration drew extensively on his portfolio of experience, including with theWalled City Partnership (Walled City THI) in Londonderry. The benefits of the THI in transforming Northern Ireland’s historic places can not be underestimated. Targeting areas of regeneration and social need does not, however, absolve the concurrent and critical need for funding of conservation area management and enhancement The Yew Allee, a double line of clipped Irish yews in Small Park, Hillsborough Castle. The yews are shown on the Manning survey of 1856. Perched on the hillside above the pool in the distance is the folly, Lady Alice’s Temple, a small classical rotunda. (Photo: Charles Strang). Nick Brown, the Prince’s Regeneration Trust’s projects advisor for Northern Ireland
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=