Appendix I6

Electronic questionnaire was sent to St Albans, Mid Bedfordshire, Dacorum, Three Rivers, Uttlesford, Hertsmere, North Herts and South Cambridgeshire asking the following questions on conservation, historic buildings etc.

1. How many listed buildings in the District (actual list entries/ rough estimate of actual no. of individual listed buildings- i.e. including multiple buildings in group list entry and interesting curtilage buildings etc.). How many Grade I/ II*? Is there a computer database/ GIS location of listed buildings?

2. How many conservation areas? Any idea of total hectares? Any Article 4 Directions relating to conservation areas? How many character statements/ appraisals completed? GIS base maps?

3. How many Registered Parks and Gardens? Grade I, II* and II?

4. How many Scheduled Monuments? Any other heritage assets?

5. Conservation team- how many qualified/ professional staff and support administrators/ clerks or technicians? Independent, within a Planning Department, a part of Development Control section/ team, part of specialist group also dealing with landscape and urban design? Who is line manager- Director, Assistant Director, team leader, DC Manager, tea lady? How many listed building consent applications last year?

6. Does the District have a Historic Building Grant budget? If so- how much? Who co-ordinates/ inspects work- is their a specific Grants Officer?

7. Does the District maintain a Buildings At Risk register? Is it published or just for internal monitoring purposes? Is there a comprehensive photographic record of all listed buildings in the District?

8. Does the District have a design award scheme for recognising/ promoting/ encouraging good design/ sympathetic conservation?

9. Does the District have a conservation area enhancement budget? If so- roughly how much?

10.Are there any local indicators to measure preservation and enhancement in the historic and rural environment?

6.51 The results are as follows:

Total Conservation number of Registered Professional Historic Building at Design Conservation Grade 1 Scheduled Area listed Parks and Conservation Building Risks Award Local Indicators Areas and 11* monuments Enhancement buildings in Gardens Staff Grant Register Scheme Budget the District St Albans City and District 834 18 - 43 - 4.25 - - - - Council 37 Complete 5 Equates 610 Conservation hectares 3 Character Yes Statements a Part of Local No – in For internal year All have a form Plans Team process of 60 use only No – Mid Bedfordshire of a statement, trying to Reply to all 1410 inherited by 12 120 + Heritage Photographi under No correspondence District Council 146 listed secure three County Trail c record of review within 10 days building year capital Council. expenditure listed consent Reply to DC Review in buildings applications consultations progress 6 within 21 days completed to

date. Dacorum Borough 883 24 - 67 - 2 - - - - - Council Three Rivers 354 18 - 17 - 1 - - - - - Uttlesford District 3744 35 - 232 - 1 - - - - - Council Hertsmere 325 15 - 15 - 1 - - - - - North Hertfordshire 1744 40 - 125 - 2 (+2?) - - - - - District Council South Cambridgeshire 2610 84 - 213 - 5 - - - - - District Council No up to Design date scheme East Herts 3048 42 15 238 42 2 £35, 000 - - buildings at now risk register lapsed

6.52

The recent (March 2003) Local Authority Conservation Provision survey (published by DCMS, English Heritage and IHBC) provides a most revealing national picture/ yardstick and some helpful statistics- the average local authority has around 1200 listed buildings, 28 conservation areas and 1.7 full time conservation specialists (i.e. about 1 full time conservation specialist per 706 listed buildings). Therefore to meet the national average (as defined in the LACP survey)- East Herts Council should have 4.3 full time conservation specialists.

The figures of the comparator local planning authorities are in some respects misleading, in that some additionally have separate urban design specialists- to provide advice relating to conservation area development. Some also have specifically dedicated support staff- technicians, administrators/ clerks, trainee conservation staff etc. Others, on occasions, use the County specialist Conservation and Design teams (or equivalent- such as BEAMS in Hertfordshire) or private consultants for general listed building/ conservation consultation purposes and other specific functions- e.g. Buildings At Risk surveys, conservation area character statements/ assessments, complex appeals/ enforcement cases.

Uttlesford DC sometimes use consultants and Essex CC to support their single Conservation Officer, as well as planning officer and other internal support. East Herts has no additional specialist professional or other support staff (other than 1 day/ week Historic Building Grants Officer- although many of the other authorities have no grant budget and thus no requirement for such a post). On the other hand, St Albans C and DC has a long-standing commitment to the principles of historic building/ area conservation and a proactive focus, with a well organised team of qualified professionals (dealing with a substantially smaller quantity of heritage assets); and South Cambridgeshire DC have a Conservation Manager, 2 Conservation Officers, Conservation Area Design Officer/ Urban Designer and a (full time) Historic Building Grants/ Buildings At Risk Officer.

6.53