Agenda item

UNESCO World Heritage Site recognition (Clive Carter - Local Resident)

To discuss the possibility of Alexandra Palace applying for UNESCO World Heritage site recognition.

i.          External Fabric Condition Update

The Committee received the External Fabric Condition Update (tabled) presented by Mark Neale, Facilities Manager, Alexandra Palace, as set out in the report.

The Committee noted that the priority works in the asset management plan on Page 5 of the report would go towards reducing the deterioration of the building and not improvements.

Some committee members expressed concerns that the 10-year asset management plan was not the best use of money and that it would be better to use the total amounts for each area at once rather than over a 10 year period during which the Palace building would deteriorate further.The Interim General Manager advised that the asset management plan was a means of substantiating the bid for capital funds; it was not a funded asset management plan as the Trust did not have the capital funds to undertake the works therein.

Members were reminded of the scale of the investment required to arrest the deterioration of the Palace building and that the Palace relied on Council funding and the bids for capital funding had to be realistic.  The Alexandra Palace and Park Regeneration Working Group had been established to consider ways in which to increase support and funding for improvements to the Palace.

RESOLVED to note the report.

ii.         UNESCO

The Committee received the proposal to seek UNESCO world heritage site status for the south east wing of Alexandra Palace (pages 57 – 62 of the agenda pack), written and presented by Clive Carter – local resident.

Committee Members generally expressed support for the proposal in principle but concerns were raised about the amount of officer time that would be required and the cost of this time, given the financial austerity measures introduced by the Council due to the reduction in its budget.

In response to concerns Mr Carter explained that the proposal would take a long time, a number of years, and that some of the work would necessarily be taken on by officers and the Local Authority.  Sponsors could be approached but the starting point would be to obtain the agreement and commitment of the Board and the Local Authority. 

In response to a question Mr Cater confirmed that an application for USESCO Heritage Site recognition could only be made if the restoration works on the Palace were completed.

In response to a question about point 12 (Page 61), the General Manager confirmed that in March 2010 Trustees abandoned their former strategy of awarding a long term lease to a private developer.  New governance arrangements and strategies were in the course of being adopted by the Palace.

The Committee noted that Bromley Council had spent circa 20 years on its bid for UNESCO World Heritage Site recognition for the home of Charles Darwin - Down House, which had been deferred twice by the committee.

RESOLVED that Sue Cole, English Heritage, be invited to the next meeting of the Statutory Advisory Committee to provide information on what a bid for USESCO Word Heritage Site recognition would entail.