Heritage Asset Strategy approved by York city council
The strategy is being set out for ten years
Plans to try and bring in £50 million to protect and invest in York’s historic buildings, collections and archaeological sites have been approved amid mounting maintenance costs.
A 10-year strategy will aim to fund works on buildings most in need of refurbishments, look at creating a new artefact storage facility and explore generating income from York’s collections.
York Council Chief Strategy Officer Claire Foale said investment would build on the city’s nationally and globally significant heritage offer as climate change fuels a rise in maintenance costs.
Cllr Claire Douglas, the authority’s Labour Leader, said bringing in additional, much-needed funding would ensure York’s history forms the basis for a flourishing, dynamic and modern city.
The approval of the Heritage Programme on Tuesday, November 4 comes as a council report stated ongoing conservation and maintenance issues had put some of York’s historic assets at risk.
It added its Medieval timber-framed buildings and others required a signficant amount of investment to preserve them for the long-term.
The city’s collections of historical artefacts and archives are also not currently stored in purpose-built facilities, putting them at risk of decay brought on by rising temperatures and humidity.
The report stated the Yorkshire Museum and Castle Museum alone needed £7 million and £15 million respectively for roof repairs.
A temporary roof is currently in place on the Castle Museum’s Female Prison and it needs to be replaced within the next 10 years.
Works are needed at the Yorkshire Museum to stop water leaking through its roof.
The report stated initiatives currently being explored to raise money from the city’s heritage sites such as donation points on York’s walls would help cover maintanence costs.
But it added they would not raise enough money on their own to make a sustained difference.
York could be left with significant liabilities to maintain the city’s heritage assets if no action is taken to try and bring in more funding, the report warned.
The strategy also comes as work independent of the council to put together a bid for York to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status remains ongoing.
Council plans aim to bring in extra cash through grants, making heritage assets available for local community uses and private investment.
Officials hope to bring in at least £250,000-a-year alone from licensing and sponsoring artefacts, images and other objects from the city’s collections.
They also plan to try and attract a national institution to relocate to York and base itself in a repurposed historic building.
A proposed new modern art gallery, also included in a Prospectus document recently drawn up by the council, could help to curate history in new ways according to the strategy.
The gallery could be based at a heritage campus if it gets the go ahead, the council’s programme stated.
There are also plans for training opportunities and entry level jobs in the heritage sector for young people along with neighbourhood based community projects.
Officials estimate that the strategy could help boost the number of visitors to York by five per cent.
The council has agreed to invest £250,000 into the development of the programme but it is hoped it will become self-sufficient in two years.
It will see the council work with York Museums Trust, York Explore, the University fo York and others to lobby for funding and promote the city’s heritage offer.
Labour’s Cllr Pete Kilbane, the council’s deputy leader and culture spokesperson, has been appointed a heritage champion to lead work on the strategy.
York is home to more than 1,500 listed buildings and has one of five areas of archaeological importance in the UK.
It has the largest number of heritage assets per square mile outside of London and it is estimated that they bring in £2.1bn to the city’s economy.
Council Chief Strategy Officer Ms Foale said the city’s heritage assets were its greatest strength.
The official said: “We have buildings dating back years, beautiful stonework, Medieval glass windows and Snickleways.
“It feels as if they will remain in tact forever, however these buildings are more fragile than they look.
“This programme aims to attract investment, enhance community pride, create new opportunities with a refreshed offer for residents and tourists, bring more skilled jobs to the city and protect our heritage’s rightful place at the heart of our nation’s history.”