World Heritage UK’s latest workshop, ‘Commercial Best Practice in World Heritage’ took place last week in the magnificent setting of the Kew Gardens UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beating the inclement weather the week before, the participants enjoyed a bright couple of days (with the occasional shower) exploring some of the treasures this remarkable place holds. Travelling on the explorer bus through budding narcissi and spring crocus, the party of thirty delegates were transported to The Pagoda, Queen Charlotte’s Cottage and the Temperate House so see behind-the-scenes restoration work and special privilege access to areas not open to the public.
Climbing three hundred steps to the top of the pagoda to meet the restoration experts and the first of the ornamental dragons being mounted there was a memorable experience. Particularly impressive was the amount of research that has taken place in order to match the original design of the architect William Chambers back in 1761, including paint analysis to achieve an accurate representation of the eighteenth century colour scheme.
The group were told that this monument is the most important garden ornament in the world – quite fitting to be found in a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On to Queen Charlotte’s Cottage (like The Pagoda, managed by Historic Royal Palaces) this hidden gem is an early example of a cottage orné, a rustic thatched cottage built as a country retreat, not as a residence, and used for taking tea during walks in the gardens. A favourite place of King George III, it houses many Hogarth prints and once had a menagerie which included the first kangaroos from the colonies.
Then the magnificent Temperate House which is undergoing major restoration and the works are now nearing completion with just a few weeks to go. This is a major investment into World Heritage, costing £41m and the newly painted (four coats) and glazed building is already receiving some of the 10,000 plants of 1500 species while the finishing touches to the structure are being undertaken.
After a warm welcome speech from the Director at Kew Gardens, Richard Deverell, the workshop participants received expert wisdom in stimulating presentations from two of Kew’s senior staff, setting the scene for them getting engaged in three workshop groups which enabled a willing exchange of knowledge and experience between those taking part. The notes from the plenary feedback session are currently being distilled and will be available shortly.
If this was not enough to fill the one and a half days spent together, everyone enjoyed the evening dinner at the nearby London Museum of Water and Steam, where the heritage engines were fired up in a magnificent demonstration of 19th century mechanical engineering. Thanks go to John Porter for setting up this arrangement. Thanks are also due to the sponsors of the event, Historic England and Lichfields, without whom this workshop would not have been realised.
Cheers!
Workshop
World Heritage UK Kew workshop dinner venue announced – an extra steamy affair!
Announcement, Business, Commercial, Culture, Events, Kew Gardens, Networking, News, Opportunities, Tourism, training, Uncategorized, UNESCO, Workshop, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage UKDelegates attending the World Heritage UK workshop ‘Commercial Best Practice in World Heritage’ at Kew Gardens on the 6th and 7th March will be experiencing an extra and very special treat if they come to the workshop drinks, dinner and demonstration on the evening of the 6th – we shall be dining amongst the engines at the London Museum of Water and Steam! Why not join us for the workshop? – last remaining tickets can be found at the registration page where you will also find details of the event’s programme which includes unique behind the scenes tours at Kew Gardens, workshop sessions and top class speakers.
World Heritage UK Commercial Best Practice workshop sessions at Kew announced
Business, Commercial, Culture, Education, Events, Kew Gardens, News, Tourism, training, Uncategorized, UNESCO, Workshop, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage UKRemaining tickets for this event are available HERE
World Heritage UK workshop, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew:
‘Commercial Best Practice in World Heritage’
6th and 7th March 2018
DRAFT PROGRAMME
Tuesday 6th March
09.00 to 12.00/13.00 – Special ‘Under the skin’ tours
Restricted numbers are able to visit the Pagoda restoration project and delegates will be among of the first people to see the dragons and the amazing colour scheme. This is a Historic Royal Palaces project and would be led by one of their conservation team or the lead project manager. The location will still be a construction site so time will be needed to change into Personal Protection Equipment.
Also included is a tour of the refurbished Temperate House which is the largest remaining glass house in the world. This will also be a construction site at the time of the visit. The party will be split into two groups visiting both sites in turn.
13.00 to 14.00 Lunch (Cambridge Cottage)
14.00 to 14.15 ‘Welcome to Kew’, Richard Deverell, CEO and Director of RBG Kew
14.15 to 14.45 Lead presentation: ‘Evolution of Kew’s commercial strategy and major events – the difficulties, opportunities and benefits’, Adam Farrar, Head of Commercial Activities, Kew Enterprises
14.45 to 15.45 Workshop 1 ‘Understanding the market’
In this workshop we shall explore in small groups what your ‘market’ is and how you have undergone identifying it. Please be prepared to share the methods have you used and what results you have achieved if you have them.
15.45 to 1600 Tea/coffee break
1600 to 1700 Workshop 2 ‘How to develop your package’
In this workshop we shall examine how the activities explored in workshop 1 have helped you to develop your offer and ask what your package now looks like? Please be prepared to share your experience and the results you have achieved if you have them.
1700 to 1715 Commercial context from the UK World Heritage Site Review – Chris Blandford
1715 to 1745 Elevator pitch style presentations from World Heritage Sites
1745 to 1900 Free time
19.00 Meet in Richmond – Dinner (venue to be confirmed)
Wednesday 7th March
9.00 to 10.00 Kew site tour by Explorer Bus – whole site tour and back of house nursery visit
10.00 to 10.30 Tea/Coffee break
10.30 to 10.50 Lead presentation: ‘The Hive – delivery challenges’, Andrew Williams Director of Estates and Capital Development , Kew Gardens
10.50 to 11.50 Workshop session 3 – ‘How to deliver commercially’
In this workshop we shall consider how you make sure your offer is commercially sound and what you have learnt from the process (positive and negative). Please be prepared to share the methods have you used and what results you have achieved if you have them.
11.50 to 12.30 Questions and general discussion
12.30 to 13.30 Lunch
13.30 to 1430 Feedback presentations from the four workshop groups
1430 to 1500 Summary of learning, next actions
1500 Close
‘Commercial Best Practice in World Heritage’ workshop, Kew Gardens
Business, Commercial, communications, Events, Jobs, News, Opportunities, Tourism, training, UNESCO, Workshop, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage UKTickets are selling fast for the World Heritage UK technical workshop ‘Commercial Best Practice in World Heritage’ to be held at the Kew Gardens UNESCO World Heritage Site on the 6th and 7th March 2018.
Details are being finalised but this World Heritage UK workshop ‘Commercial Best Practice in World Heritage’ is not to be missed! It will include speaker experts from the top of their professional game and some unique behind-the-scenes experiences not available to the visiting public at the Kew Gardens UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The developing workshop package includes:
2 day entry to Kew Gardens
Three workshop sessions on commercial best practice with top speakers for your CPD
Exclusive access to preview two new exhibits – The Pagoda and The Temperate House
1 hour Explorer Bus tour of Kew Gardens
‘Back of House’ experience – see the rarest of plants and hear from the horticultural scientists conserving them
Two Lunches and refreshments
Evening networking dinner in Richmond (optional extra)
Tickets are just £95 plus Eventbrite booking fee (or £20 for World Heritage UK Voting Member organisations, to cover catering and admin costs).
Ticket booking and outline programme details are available at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/world-heritage-uk-workshop-commercial-best-practice-in-world-heritage-tickets-42086363446
More details on the programme will be circulated shortly.
Advance booking is essential as only 50 places are available for the workshop sessions and behind the scenes tours. Please be advised that 33% of the places available for this workshop have been snapped up already so if you or your colleagues do intend to come to the Kew Gardens workshop you are advised to secure your place as soon as possible or you may be disappointed.
Please do share this message with relevant colleagues and networks.
Planning Inspector supports WHS setting
Bath 2017, Conservation, Management Plan, News, Planning, Uncategorized, UNESCO, Workshop, World Heritage SitesThe green setting of Bath is a key attribute of Outstanding Universal Value
Following the World Heritage UK Technical Seminar on planning and World Heritage on 8th March, you may be interested in this recent (18 April 2017) appeal decision from Bath. In dismissing the appeal for 20 dwellings within the WHS, the inspector was convinced by the Council’s policy documents including the WHS Management Plan and the need to protect open hillsides as part of the OUV. We know from discussion in the technical seminar that comparable examples from different sites are considered useful and this example also provides some validation of Bath’s ‘Setting Study’ approach, another hot topic! The decision can be found here. Please feel free to contact tony_crouch@bathnes.gov.uk for any further detail.
‘Running the Business of World Heritage’ – WHUK Networking & General Meeting 4th and 5th July 2017
Business, Events, Exhibition, Network meetings, New Lanark networking meeting 2017, News, training, Uncategorized, UNESCO, Workshop, World Heritage SitesFollowing on from the success of last year’s World Heritage UK Networking Meeting at the Giant’s Causeway WHS, this year we move to Scotland and the unique and successful New Lanark WHS where we plan to share our experiences on ‘running the business of World Heritage’. So, a commercial theme this year and this is appropriate as the operation at New Lanark is an exemplar. There will be opportunities to learn from each other as we hear from world heritage colleagues on their experiences of business plans and strategies, innovative enterprises and products, hospitality and customer satisfaction and the interpretation of the offer that each World Heritage Site provides to sustain it as a viable and sustainable business. The event will also include a World Heritage UK General Meeting to meet the governance requirements of the charity.
The meeting will take place in the Bonnington Linn Conference Room at the New Lanark Mill Hotel on the 4th and 5th July where a limited amount of accommodation has been reserved for delegates. Booking is urgently required to secure any of the following: 5 bedrooms reserved in the New Lanark Mill Hotel (these are Bed and Breakfast) @£89.00 per night based on two sharing or @£65.00 per night for single occupancy.
17 bedrooms in the Wee Row Hostel (bedroom only but breakfast available separately) @£55.00 based on 2 sharing or £40.00 for single occupancy.
Delegates wishing to book this accommodation MUST either phone 01555 667200 or e-mail hotel @newlanark.org and reference ‘Masters allocation’ for their booking to be made at these rates. Bookings cannot be made online. See http://www.newlanarkhotel.co.uk/ or call 01555 667200 for more details.
The Eventbrite webpage for registration to this event is ready for your sign up HERE
The draft programme is in preparation but so far includes:
- speakers and presentations from the UK’s World Heritage Sites
- the World Heritage UK General Meeting
- an evening reception with New Lanark WHS staff and Partnership Board, with a presentation by the New Lanark Chief Executive on access and new development
- a 3-course networking dinner (optional) @£23.95
- 5 specialised tours of the WHS – on architecture, power, textiles, social history and the general story of New Lanark
Presentations from WH:UK Technical Workshop, Bath, March 8th 2017
Bath 2017, Events, News, Workshop, World Heritage SitesIntroduction
This meeting was aimed at World Heritage practitioners and took place in Bath Cricket Club, on 8th March 2017, with an evening social meal the night before. Its focus was on the UK planning systems in respect of World Heritage Sites – seeing if there was a ‘dovetail or disconnect’. The day looked at the different systems, and discussed a very wide range of case studies in terms of impact on World Heritage Sites. The event also had a couple of workshop sessions to look at issues and solutions – and the intention is that we can use this information to start to develop a position paper for government in respect of World Heritage and the Planning system. This post gives the presentations and other information from the event.
Final programme
The final programme for the event can be found here: Final programme
Presentations
Please remember that the copyright of presentations and content lies with the authors, so please contact them should you wish to use any material contained therein.
Morning
Overview of the planning system and planning policy:
1 Don Gobbett Planning Overview
2 Hilary Jordan Planning Policy
How decisions on development proposals are made at local level
3 Rebecca McAndrew Blaenavon case study
4 Nick Bishop Lichfields – Cornish mining case study
Looking wider – national policy and working with national bodies
5 Henry Owen-John Heritage Impact Assessment and other stories
6 Jenny Bruce Edinburgh case study
Afternoon
Heading towards solutions:
National case study – National Infrastructure project
7 Sam Rose Navitus Bay case study
Local Case study – SPD development
8 Anna Irwin Pontcysyllte case study
Attendees list
The final participant list is available: Delegate list 8th March 2017
Feedback
Feedback will follow shortly
Acknowledgements
Our thanks to Lichfields, Historic England and Bath and NE Somerset Council as meeting sponsors, and to all speakers and participants for coming along and making it such an enjoyable and stimulating event.
Technical Workshop: Planning for World Heritage Sites – dovetail or disconnect? Bath, 8th March 2017
Bath 2017, Education, Events, News, Planning, training, Uncategorized, UNESCO, Workshop, World Heritage SitesTHE LATEST IN A SERIES OF TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS ON PLANNING, PRODUCED BY WORLD HERITAGE UK:
Tickets for this technical workshop are now available HERE
DRAFT PROGRAMME FOR 8TH MARCH 2017
Planning for World Heritage Sites – dovetail or disconnect?
MORNING SESSION – HOW DO THE UK’s PLANNING SYSTEMS WORK?
10.00 Introduction
10.15 Overview of the planning systems (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland), to include:
- planning policy and development management
- who makes decisions about what
- the underlying philosophy of the planning approach to development
10.30 Planning policy at national and local levels, to include, for each level:
- why planning policies are important for World Heritage
- where to find planning policies on World Heritage
- what policies exist already?
- can policies be totally prescriptive?
- who makes policies – the roles of civil servants/local authority officers and ministers/elected local authority members
- how to influence decision makers
11.00 Questions
11.10 Coffee
11.25 How decisions on development proposals are made, to include:
- o Who makes decisions – the roles of local authority officers and members, central government inspectors and ministers
- o How decisions are made
- o What planners need to know when making decisions
- o How to influence decision makers
- o Heritage impact Assessment
- o OUV and “significance” – lessons from the Chacewater, Cornwall appeal decision
12.10 Decisions that threaten World Heritage Status, to include:
- the role of the State Party
- which Government departments do what
- who advises the World Heritage Committee?
- the role of ICOMOS
- how is the decision for Reactive Monitoring made?
- what is the process of Reactive Monitoring?
12.40 Questions
1.00 Lunch and group photo
AFTERNOON SESSION – WORKSHOP SESSIONS TO IDENTIFY ISSUES AND IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED
The aim of the afternoon session is to identify what is going well and what needs to be improved and is everyone’s opportunity to have their say. It will be split into two parts, first looking at national issues and then local government issues, and to hear about some specific examples.
1.30 Introduction
1.40 National and international issues
Possible issues to discuss
- are the overall planning systems fit for purpose in relation to World Heritage?
- is anyone monitoring the effectiveness of the planning systems?
- are national policies sufficiently robust?
- are World Heritage Sites sufficiently valued?
- how can state reporting and the Reactive monitoring process be improved?
2.40 Local issues
Possible issues to discuss:
- is anyone monitoring the effectiveness of the planning systems?
- are local policies sufficiently robust?
- are World Heritage Sites sufficiently valued?
3.40 Summing up and closing remarks, to include:
- summary of gaps/suggestions from workshop sessions
- next steps, including production of a position paper
4.00 Close and depart