News story
Historic Landscape Project Officer - South East Region
By Verena McCaig
We’ve reached the end of Year 1 of the project - Verena McCaig, Historic Landscape Project Officer Southeast (HLPO) reflects on what’s been happening and offers some thoughts on what’s to come:
In 2010 I took up the newly-created, three-year post of Historic Landscape Project Officer – South East Region (HLPO) with the Association of Gardens Trusts (AGT). Prior to this I had been working as a freelance project manager and researcher whilst completing an MSc in Conservation of Historic Gardens and Cultural Landscapes at University of Bath. My interest developed from completing the Birkbeck Certificate in Garden History and working as Project Manager of the Heritage Lottery funded re-creation of Red Cross Garden in Southwark; Octavia Hill’s vision for Victorian Bankside. I am also joint co-ordinator of the London P&G Trust Volunteer Researchers Group.
This full-time post, based from AGT offices in Cowcross Street, London, is jointly funded by English Heritage (EH) and Natural England (NE), with whom I work very closely. The role has two distinct key objectives:
- to identify and promote applications from land managers for the agri-environment grant scheme Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) funding for the conservation, repair and restoration of historic designed parkland in the SE government region ; and
- to develop the knowledge, skills and network structures within the county gardens trusts (CGT’s) in the SE region, that could proactively contribute to HLS schemes, and to wider conservation and planning issues.
HLS provides funding for land-owners/managers linked to specific land management tasks which can be used to help conserve, and in some cases restore, important heritage assets in the landscape. Currently, the uptake is lower than targeted, indicating missed opportunities to conserve sites, particularly historic parks. The scheme can be applied whether the site is on the EH Register or not. To identify target sites which have a high likelihood of a successful HLS application, I shall be formulating a prioritising system of sites meeting a number of critical criteria, with identified ‘Historic Parkland’ as the starting point and taking full account of a site’s ‘At Risk’ status. To do this, I shall be using an existing NE mapping system which indicates existing designations such as Registered parks and gardens, key habitats, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) Scheduled Ancient Monuments, etc. alongside county level inventories developed by the CGTs.
Alongside this I shall be meeting with appropriate representatives of each of the SE CGTs, (Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire), to discuss current input into local research, planning and conservation work and gather information on volunteers’ knowledge and experience which could underpin joint-working with EH and NE on these issues. I shall be looking for current successful models of good practice in the area and looking at ways to share this across the Trusts. I shall follow up these meetings with introductory sessions for all CGTs on conservation opportunities of HLS funding and, for interested volunteers, run a series of free workshops in 2011-13 on such topics as identifying site features, management planning, conservation, planning regulations, and ways of applying this knowledge to conserve and restore historic designed landscapes. Specialist EH and NE staff are keen to contribute to these workshops, and I hope to include site visits.
By the end of the three years, I hope I will have enabled those CGTs who wish to participate to contribute better to conservation processes and funding opportunities in their county. This role has the potential to further strengthen joint working between NE, EH, local authorities and land management agencies, and crucially to place CGTs as recognised authorities in the conservation of the designed landscape across the SE region.
If you require further information about this project please contact me.
Verena.McCaig@naturalengland.org.uk
Tel 07904 608553
22 April 2010
