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Examination of the Issue of Trust-type Organisations to Manage Heritage Properties in Ireland Report Prepared for The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government By Indecon International Consultants IINNDDEECCOONN www.indecon.ie November 2004 © Copyright Indecon. No part of this document may be used or reproduced without Indecon’s express permission in writing. I came to a great house in the middle of the night, Its open lighted doorway and its windows all alight, All my friends were there and made me welcome too; But I woke in an old ruin that the winds howled through. W. B. Yeats1 1 Quoted in Peter Somerville-Large, The Irish Country House: A Social History (London, 1995). November 2004 © Copyright Indecon. No part of this document may be used or reproduced without Indecon’s express permission in writing. Contents Page Executive Summary i 1 Introduction and Background 1 Background 1 Terms of Reference 1 Structure of Report 2 Methodological Approach to Study 3 Acknowledgements and Disclaimer 4 2 Review of Previous Research on Value of Heritage 5 Nature and Benefits of Heritage 5 Types of Heritage Assets 9 Valuing the Heritage Environment 11 Summary of Findings 15 3 Review of State-owned Heritage Properties 17 Background and Nature of State Involvement 17 Tourism Activity at State-Owned Heritage Properties 22 Expenditures Associated with State-owned Heritage Properties 25 Summary of Findings 27 4 Review of Privately Owned Heritage Properties 29 Review of Previous Research on Heritage Properties 29 Indecon Research on Heritage Properties 36 Section 482 Properties 40 Summary of Findings 43 5 Review of Heritage Policy and Heritage Bodies in Ireland 45 Overview of Heritage Policy in Ireland 45 Review of Trust-type and Other Heritage Bodies in Ireland 48 Summary of Findings 62 6 Review of Tax and Grant Supports for Heritage 67 Background 67 Description of Current Tax Reliefs and Grant Supports 68 Summary of Findings 83 INDECON November 2004 i Contents Page 7 Review of Approaches to Heritage Management in Other Countries 85 Geographic Scope and Approach to Review 85 England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland 87 United States 118 Australia and New Zealand 119 Summary of Findings 127 8 Discussion of Policy Issues 132 Introduction 132 Assessment of Costs of Trust Proposals 133 Quantification of Exchequer Costs 137 Assessment of Potential Benefits of Trust-type Organisations 148 Operational Model for Trust Proposals 158 Summary and Conclusions 164 9 Feasibility of Trust Proposals and Examination of Models 167 Introduction 167 Feasibility of Trust-type Arrangements 167 Principal Policy Options 171 Conclusions re Selected Models 177 Appropriate Features of Trust-type Arrangements 178 10 Recommendations 179 Annex 1 Bibliography 186 Annex 2 Copy of Survey Questionnaire 189 Annex 3 List of Heritage Properties in State Care 192 Annex 4 Details re Section 482 Properties 194 Annex 5 National Trust of Queensland – Breakdown of Income 200 Annex 6 Endowment Funding and the ‘Chorley Formula’ 201 Annex 7 Heritage Management in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Malta, Germany and Canada 203 INDECON November 2004 ii Executive Summary Executive Summary Introduction and Terms of Reference This report was prepared for the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government by Indecon International Economic Consultants. The report concerns an independent examination of the issue of trust-type or other approaches to the management of heritage (built and natural) properties in Ireland. The background to this study is that, given the competing demands for State resources, it was decided by the Government following an important heritage report and representations from interested groups that trust-type legislation be considered which could assist in preserving heritage properties under threat in a cost efficient manner. This study takes place within this context. The main objective of this study is to provide an analysis of the issue of trust-type or other arrangements for the ownership and management of heritage properties in Ireland. A number of specific tasks underlie the terms of reference for this study, which were set out by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, as follows: To undertake an analysis of the costs and benefits to the economy in general, and to the State’s overall heritage conservation and protection objectives in particular, of making provision for trust-type legislation or other legislation especially as it might apply to safeguarding heritage properties which are likely to be under threat in the future; To undertake an examination of relevant legislation and practice in Ireland and other jurisdictions, which relate to trust-type or similar organisations, including any tax incentives or any other economic instruments applied in support of the work of such organisations; In the light of (1) and (2) above, to put forward suitable models for the operational arrangement of trust-type or other organisations that would be feasible in the Irish context, including the manner in which legal ownership would operate; and, To quantify the impact on the Exchequer of any tax incentives or economic instruments. It should be noted that the terms of reference set by the Government for the study are focused on particular issues and it is outside the scope of the study to consider in detail other aspects of protecting Ireland’s heritage. This does not imply that other aspects are not important but this study is focused on one particular issue. Review of Previous Research on the Value of Heritage Before considering the nature of the challenge involved in sustaining heritage properties in Ireland, it is important to understand the nature of heritage assets and the cultural and economic benefits that derive from these assets. INDECON November 2004 i Executive Summary ‘Heritage’ can encompass a wide range of assets, including built and natural heritage assets. One broad definition of built heritage properties is provided under Section 482 of the Tax Consolidation Act 1997, which provides tax relief in respect of buildings/gardens that are “intrinsically of significant horticultural, scientific, historical, architectural or aesthetic interest”. The diverse nature of heritage assets in Ireland has important implications for the challenges involved in sustaining these assets. More broadly and within the Irish context, it is instructive to restate the interpretation of heritage as set out in the introduction to the National Heritage Plan: “While our heritage is inextricably intertwined with our sense of identity, it also affirms the historic, cultural and natural inheritance which is shared on the island of Ireland. For present and future generations who will live in Ireland that inheritance has the ability to enhance and enrich the context of everyday existence. It has the ability to vividly convey to visitors and those living in Ireland alike what it means to be Irish. In short, our heritage is a presence which physically expresses the essence and the heartbeat of our collective historical identify.”2 There are inherent problems associated with the measurement of the value of heritage, as many of the benefits identified above are not directly expressible in monetary terms. A country’s heritage may be described as a ‘public good’ in so far as individuals can derive satisfaction and benefit from heritage assets even if they do not directly pay for these assets. In the Irish policy context, a significant focus has traditionally been placed on the tourism benefits deriving from heritage properties. In relation to heritage tourism benefits in other countries, research published in 2001 suggested that: Some 40% of employment in tourism depends directly on a high quality environment. In a rural context, this dependency rises to between 60% and 70%; Research carried out by the National Trust in Northern Ireland indicated that the most significant contribution of the Trust to the local economy is to the tourist industry, with an estimated 1.5 million visitors to Trust properties every year, of which 425,000 are visitors to the Giant’s Causeway; It is estimated that approximately 15% of all visitors in 2002 (or 143,000) to Trust properties are out-of-state visitors; and Visitors to National Trust properties in Northern Ireland contributed towards approximately £58 million in tourist spend, helping to support between 1,400 and 2,500 jobs in the industry. 2 National Heritage Plan for Ireland, Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, April 2002. INDECON November 2004 ii Executive Summary Review of State-owned Heritage Properties While the focus of this study, as per the terms of reference, is on private sector properties that are likely to be under threat in the future, as part of our assessment we also described the State’s involvement in the ownership and management of heritage properties in Ireland. We firstly described the numbers and types of heritage properties. We then looked at the extent of visitor interest and revenues generated from members of the public. Finally we considered the annual management and capital costs associated with the operation of state-managed heritage properties. This provides some insights into the potential viability of national trusts. The State, through various channels, has a major involvement in both the ownership and management of built and natural heritage properties in Ireland. Ownership and management ranges extensively across the built and natural