1. 1. Conservation without Frontiers: Historic Buildings of Armagh & Monaghan in Context Cross Border Heritage Initiatives Andrew McClelland Chair, IHBC Northern Ireland Branch 26 June 2015 County Monaghan @IHBCni
2. 2. Institutional collaboration and cross-border cooperation in planning Examples of previous/ongoing cross-border cooperation in heritage Potential areas of future cross-border cooperation in heritage An opportune moment? Presentation Overview @IHBCni
3. 3. Cross-border local authority networks: - East Border Region - Irish Central Border Area Network - North West Region Cross Border Group North South Implementation Bodies, including: - InterTradeIreland - Waterways Ireland - Special EU Programmes Body Institutional collaboration/cross-border cooperation in planning @IHBCni
4. 4. Ad hoc collaboration focused on strategic issues of mutual interest, the management of shared resources, and/or the completion of common programmes/plans/projects: - MOU between Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and the Louth Local Authorities - Blackwater Regional Partnership - Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark @IHBCni Institutional collaboration/cross-border cooperation in planning Source: International Centre for Local and Regional Development, 2010
5. 5. Evidence-informed spatial planning through GIS-based data mapping, including: - The Atlas of the Island of Ireland - All-Island HP Deprivation Index - SPACEial North West project - www.spaceialnw.eu @IHBCni Institutional collaboration/cross-border cooperation in planning Source: All-Island Research Observatory and the International Centre for Local and Regional Development, 2015
6. 6. @IHBCni Institutional collaboration/cross-border cooperation in planning Source: All-Island Research Observatory www.airo.ie
7. 7. Spatial public diplomacy through the Framework for Co-operation for the Spatial Strategies of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland Supporting the need to protect and enhance the built heritage, development at all levels must be sustainable. This requires: i) protection of the distinctive character of areas [] ii) developments which are in harmony with the existing natural landscapes, and iii) the creation of places valued by people.* @IHBCni Source: Department for Regional Development and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government (2013) Framework for Co-operation for the Spatial Strategies of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, p.14 Institutional collaboration/cross-border cooperation in planning *Department for Regional Development and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, 2013, p.28
8. 8. @IHBCni Examples of previous/ongoing cross-border cooperation in heritage NGOs and professional bodies operating on a cross-border or all-island basis Private sector market interaction on a cross- border basis Crossover in representation on advisory councils and other committees Joint projects / cross- border initiatives - UAHS - IGS - ICOMOS Ireland - Irish Landmark Trust - Follies Trust - Building Limes Forum Ireland - Irish Walled Towns Network - Institute of the Archaeologists of Ireland - Consultants - Building contractors - Craftsmen - Suppliers - Historic Buildings Council - Historic Monuments Council - The Heritage Council - Royal Irish Academy - Mourne Homesteads Scheme - Protection of Thatched Structures in Ireland report - Great Lighthouses of Ireland - Mourne-Cooley-Gullion Geotourism
9. 9. @IHBCni Potential areas of future cross-border cooperation in heritage Cultural tourism Traditional building skills Strategic development projects Shared inventories / dataset mapping / digital
10. 10. Cultural tourism Effective and balanced management of key natural and built heritage is essential for growth in tourism that is both economically and environmentally sustainable. Irelands cultural heritage, including the built heritage sector (monuments, historic estates, gardens, national parks, and many other nationally significant protected structures and antiquities) is integral to our tourism offering.* @IHBCni Source: Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, 2015 Potential areas of future cross-border cooperation in heritage *Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, 2015, pp.22, 23
11. 11. @IHBCni Potential areas of future cross-border cooperation in heritage ?
12. 12. Traditional building skills Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland share a common heritage in the built environment and much of what has already been achieved has been characterised by cross-border cooperation, so continuing in this manner will have major advantages, not least in the potential for both economies.* @IHBCni Source: National Heritage Training Group, 2009 Potential areas of future cross-border cooperation in heritage *National Heritage Training Group, 2009, p.13
13. 13. Strategic development projects greenways One of the most important aspects of the Vias Verdes project has been the way in which redundant railway assets have been restored in an inspirational way. The project has encouraged the restoration of hundreds of distinctive railway features such as stations, tunnels and viaducts so that they can reflect the rich architectural heritage of the railways.* @IHBCni Source: Lumsdon et al., 2009 Potential areas of future cross-border cooperation in heritage *Lumsdon et al., 2009, p.64
14. 14. @IHBCni Source: Committee for Regional Development (2015) Inquiry into the Benefits of Cycling to the Economy, p.784 Potential areas of future cross-border cooperation in heritage Source: Butler, R. (2009) Recreational use of Towpaths, p.8
15. 15. Shared inventories / dataset mapping / digital With the current availability and enormous potential of digital technology, minimal investment could create a link between these databases [Monuments and Buildings Record (NI) and the Register of Recorded Monuments and Places (RoI)] to increase their value as a data source.* Digitisation and online accessibility enable unprecedented forms of engagement and open up new revenue streams. E-learning tools promote wider access to cultural content in homes, schools and universities, and allow people to generate, reuse and add value to content.** @IHBCni Source: www.buildingsofireland.ie Potential areas of future cross-border cooperation in heritage *Cooney, G., 2013, Charting a future path for archaeology in Ireland, North and South, The Journal of Cross Border Studies in Ireland, p.68 **European Commission, 2014, Towards an integrated approach to cultural heritage for Europe, p.5
16. 16. Improved working relationships between central government departments and other agencies Bolstered local government in both jurisdictions, with enhanced range of functions and responsibilities, including community planning Opportunity to feed into new local development planning processes area plans, Local Economic and Community Plans (LECPs) and Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies Increased focus on the need to deliver practical projects @IHBCni Source: Rafferty, G. and Lloyd, M.G., 2014, Community Planning and Spatial Planning in the Irish Border Region An opportune moment?
17. 17. Aiming to avoid @IHBCni Insensitive treatment of cultural heritage Back-to-back planning and development Source: Private Eye, as reproduced in Larkham, 1996, Conservation and the City, p.265