The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Annual Monitoring Report 2006/07 The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Steering Group has overseen the preparation of this report. Edinburgh World Heritage (EWH) would like to take this opportunity to thank our partner agencies – Historic Scotland (HS), City of Edinburgh Council (CEC), Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian (SEEL) and the Edinburgh City Centre Management Company (ECCMC) for their continuing engagement in the process CONTENTS PAGE: INTRODUCTION 6 1 CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION 7 2 CONDITION OF THE SITE 13 3 DEVELOPMENT PRESSURE 27 4 ECONOMIC PROFILE 37 5 AWARENESS AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT 48 6 RESOURCES AND MANAGEMENT 56 7 CONCLUSIONS 57 8 INDICATOR SUMMARY 59 APPENDICES I CASE-STUDY – SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE 64 II CASE STUDY – WELL COURT 67 III CONSERVATION AREA MAP IV DEVELOPMENT MAP TABLES AND FIGURES Table: Page: 1 Conservation Area Character Appraisals 13 2 Changes in the Number of Listed Entries 14 3 Location of Listed Entries 15 4 Scheduled Monuments in the WHS & their Condition 16 5 Buildings at Risk Register 18 6 Conservation Funding Awarded by EWH 19 7 Inventory of Gardens & Designed Landscapes 23 8 Total Number of Planning Applications in the WHS 28 9 Breakdown of Determined Planning Applications in the WHS 2000/01-2006/07 30 10 Planning Applications Approved for Major New Developments in the WHS 32 11 EWH Comments on Planning Proposals 2006/07 34 12 Residential Population 38 13 Residential Property Value 39 14 Residential Property Value Trends 40 15 WHS Employment Structure 42 16 Annual Spread of Tourist Trips 44 17 Number of Visitors & their Expenditure 45 18 Events held in the WHS 46 Figure: 1 Total Number of Planning Applications in the WHS 27 2 Annual Spread of Tourist Trips 44 3 What Residents Value about the WHS 52 4 What Visitors Value about the WHS 53 ABBREVIATIONS CEC City of Edinburgh Council EWH Edinburgh World Heritage HS Historic Scotland ICOMOS International Council on Monuments and Sites SPG Supplementary Planning Guidance UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization WHS World Heritage Site OLD AND NEW TOWNS OF EDINBURGH WORLD HERITAGE SITE INTRODUCTION One of the responsibilities of inscription upon the UNESCO World Heritage List is monitoring each site’s state of conservation. The effective management of the site is dependent upon “a cycle of planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and feedback,” as outlined in paragraph 111 of UNESCO’s Operational Guidelines1. This Monitoring Report has been prepared by EWH on behalf of the World Heritage Site Steering Group. EWH’s key role lies in support of the care, management and promotion of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site – effectively to work with partner agencies to ensure that the “outstanding universal values” of the World Heritage Site are maintained for future generations. More specifically, the Management Plan specifies five roles for EWH, paraphrased below: • to champion, represent and monitor the site; • to co-ordinate actions for conserving, enhancing and adapting the site; • to provide associated financial assistance; • to promote associated, exemplary standards of conservation; and • to promote public understanding and enjoyment of the site. This annual Monitoring Report studies changes and trends based on key statistics that are gathered about the World Heritage Site. There is a core group of Indicators that are being used by all the UK’s World Heritage Sites as the basis for annual monitoring and a summary table at the back of this report lists individual indicators and summarises trends. These indicators have also guided the layout and content of the main Monitoring Report. Ultimately these annual reports will be used to inform the review of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site Management Plan. Jane Jackson Acting Director EDINBURGH WORLD HERITAGE 1 UNESCO Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention 2005. ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT 2006/07 Edinburgh World Heritage Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee. Registered in Scotland No. 195077. Scottish Charity No. SC037183 6 OLD AND NEW TOWNS OF EDINBURGH WORLD HERITAGE SITE 1 CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION 1.1 The Management Plan: Management Plans are considered by UNESCO to be an effective means of managing World Heritage Sites and of balancing preservation with the needs of change. The first Management Plan for the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh WHS was published in July 2005 by Edinburgh World Heritage (EWH) and its partner agencies; Historic Scotland (HS), City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian (SEEL), to guide future conservation and management within the Site. It aims to manage an area 3.5 by 1.75km in extent2 and containing more than 4,500 buildings. There is an accompanying Annual Action Programme outlining the key activities to be undertaken by all partner organisations responsible for implementing the Plan. The Management Plan itself will be reviewed quinquennially, to ensure that the issues and policies it contains are still appropriate for the WHS. The next publication is due in 2010. The WHS Annual Monitoring Reports will be used to inform this review. The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh WHS Management Plan is available to view online at www.ewht.org.uk 1.2 Statutory Protection: The UK statutory planning system is currently considered by UNESCO to offer sufficient protection for World Heritage Sites. With devolution, planning practice in the UK is becoming increasingly varied. The implications of these differences need to be monitored to ensure continued consistency in the protection of the Edinburgh WHS and other UK Sites. The 2006 Scottish Planning Act is, “the central part of the most fundamental and comprehensive reform of our planning system in sixty years.”3 It introduces measures for greater efficiency and improved public participation in the planning process. Developing a more accessible 2Colvin and Moggridge Landscape Architects 2005. City of Edinburgh High Buildings Policy Review. (Draft) 3 Scottish Executive 2007. A Brief Guide to the 2006 Scottish Planning Act. ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT 2006/07 Edinburgh World Heritage Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee. Registered in Scotland No. 195077. Scottish Charity No. SC037183 7 OLD AND NEW TOWNS OF EDINBURGH WORLD HERITAGE SITE planning system, with new statutory requirements for pre-application consultations, and evaluating the effectiveness of this engagement, will further empower the communities in the Edinburgh WHS to protect their heritage. Consultation on these changes will take place over the next two years and they are scheduled to be in place by the end of 2008. Scottish Historic Environment Policy (SHEP) 1 “provides a framework for the day-to-day work of the organisations that have a role and interest in managing the historic environment… [It] sets out a vision for the future; it also brings together a great deal of existing policy in a single publication.”4 During 2006 views were gathered from stakeholders within the historic environment sector on the content of the draft policy. The policy was launched in March 2007. A future SHEP on WHSs is planned. National Planning Policy Guidance 18 Planning and the Historic Environment (NPPG18) states that although WHS status provides no additional statutory protection (beyond the legislation that protects scheduled ancient monuments, listed buildings and conservation areas); “the impact of proposed development upon a World Heritage Site will be a material consideration in determining planning applications.” The Edinburgh WHS is given protection through the following statutory policies and documents: Scheduled Monuments – Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 Scheduled monuments are of national importance. Once scheduled by HS, prior written consent of the Scottish Ministers is required for a range of works affecting the monument. HS carry out condition surveys on scheduled monuments on a five-year cycle. There are eight scheduled monuments in the Edinburgh WHS5. Listed Buildings – Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 Scottish Ministers are legally required to compile a list of buildings that are of special architectural or historic interest. The term ‘building’ is defined 4 Historic Scotland, 2007. SHEP 1 5 Historic Scotland: www.historic-scotland.gov.uk ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT 2006/07 Edinburgh World Heritage Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee. Registered in Scotland No. 195077. Scottish Charity No. SC037183 8 OLD AND NEW TOWNS OF EDINBURGH WORLD HERITAGE SITE broadly and one entry on the list may include several addresses. Permission must be sought for development or alterations that would affect the historic or architectural character of the building, including the interior. Listed buildings are grouped into three categories that reflect their degree of interest. The WHS contains the following number of entries on the list: A-Listed = 656 B-Listed = 864 C (s)-Listed = 156 Total Listed = 1676 Due to differences in the criteria used by HS and CEC to define ‘a building,’ it is not possible to establish the total percentage of buildings listed. However EWH estimate around 75% of buildings in the WHS are listed. Listed buildings can only be demolished under ‘exceptional circumstances,’ where a strong case is made after consideration of the factors outlined in Historic Scotland’s Memorandum of Guidance on Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas. The Memorandum indicates that unlisted buildings within a conservation area should be afforded this same protection. Conservation Areas – Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 A conservation area is “an area of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance.” Conservation areas are afforded stricter planning control to protect their character. The WHS is covered by a patchwork of seven conservation areas, each with a distinctive character.