Date issued; 7 September 2018
Colchester Council’s Local Plan Committee is to discuss whether a new set of criteria should be used to determine which buildings or assets make it onto the heritage Local List, when it meets on 13 September 2018.
The new measures would aim to provide a more robust set of ground rules to determine which historic buildings and assets to include on any future list and extend the local area to cover the whole of the borough – not just Colchester and Wivenhoe as it does currently. The council is looking to work with the community to find what they value and want to see conserved for future generations to enjoy.
If approved, any revisions to the selection criteria would then need to be tested through public consultation. The agreed criteria would then be applied to decide which new entries are added to the list.
Colchester’s rich history is reflected in the diversity of historic buildings and assets found throughout the borough, but not all heritage structures currently have legal protection. To provide better safeguards, the council worked with a panel of local historic building experts to prepare Colchester’s first Local List in 2011.
The Local List records heritage assets which, although not suitable for designation nationally as a Listed Building or Scheduled Monument, are considered historically or architecturally important at a local level. These can include a range of historic assets – from individual buildings and whole streetscapes to single features such as railings, lamp posts or post boxes – which are valued by the local community and make a significant contribution to the character and setting of Colchester and the surrounding villages.
This is the sixth review of the Local List and follows an invitation last January for the public to submit proposals to add or remove new buildings and assets to the updated registers for Colchester and Wivenhoe. From this, three additional building have been recommended for the Local Plan Committee to review and agree – increasing the Local List to 769 buildings and assets considered historically or architecturally important in the borough.
Cllr Tim Young, Portfolio Holder for Business & Culture, said: “With over 2000 years of unique and fascinating history to draw upon, the heritage list provides an extra tool to help champion the local historic environment.
“The Local List is your chance to tell us what treasures of the past matter most to you – so I would urge the public to step forward with suggestions for heritage gems to include in future lists and help us to make a Better Colchester.”
To learn more about which buildings are on currently on the Colchester Local List, visit the Colchester Historic Buildings Forum website: www.colchesterhistoricbuildingsforum.org.uk/drupal.
Page last reviewed: 7 September 2018