Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register 2019 has been published today (Thursday), revealing an annual snapshot of the critical health of England’s most valued historic places and those most at risk of being lost as a result of neglect, decay or inappropriate development.
Across the South East, 21 buildings and sites have been saved and 10 have been added to the Register because of concerns about their condition. Those added include Ryde Conservation Area and Sandown Conservation Area.
Over the past year, imaginative uses have been found for empty buildings, providing new homes, shops, offices and cultural venues for the local community to enjoy. Monuments in our landscapes have been cared for, and brought back to life, often by dedicated teams of volunteers.
Ryde Conservation Area
The town centre and seafront have been declining over the years, with the east beach lost to car parks and a marina and the seafront cut off from the town by busy roads. The bus station marshalling yard also obstructs people’s enjoyment of the seafront.
The decline of town centre shop fronts, vacant buildings and poor maintenance of buildings on the High Street have contributed to it being added to the ‘Register. There are also a number of larger vacant buildings, including the former Town Hall and Art-deco Royal York Hotel.
Ryde Town Council, in partnership with Ryde Business Association and Isle of Wight Council has qualified for High Street Heritage Action Zone status.
Sandown Conservation Area
The conservation area is at risk due to a mixture of the vacancy and dereliction of buildings and land on the seafront. Other problems include street clutter, poor signage, run-down shop fronts, lack of maintenance of buildings and intrusive advertising. Historic England will work with Isle of Wight Council to develop plans to address these issues.
Emily Gee, Historic England Regional Director for London and the South East said:
“Our heritage needs to be saved and investing in heritage pays. It helps to transform the places where we live and work and in which we visit, creating successful and distinctive places for us and for future generations to enjoy. But there’s more work to do.
“There are buildings still on the Heritage at Risk Register such as the Haslar Guard Houses in Gosport in Hampshire and Bouldnor Battery near Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight that can be rescued and brought back to beneficial use. These are the homes, shops, offices and cultural places of the future.
“Historic England’s experience shows that with the right partners, imaginative thinking and robust business planning, we can be confident in finding creative solutions for these complex sites.”
The Heritage at Risk Register 2019 reveals that in the South East, there are 156 Grade I and II* buildings, 142 scheduled monuments, 82 places of worship, 25 registered parks and gardens, 3 protected wreck sites and 65 conservation areas that are at risk of neglect, decay or inappropriate change. In total, there are 473 entries on the Register in the South East, 11 fewer
