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CBI
MINERALS GROUP - LIVING WITH MINERALS: FROM GLOBALISM TO LOCALISM
Address
by Baroness Andrews OBE, Chair of English Heritage
Thank you so much for inviting me here today to join you at your fourth Living With Minerals event. I’m delighted to be here. I think I must have volunteered following a meeting with Nigel Jackson which reminded me how much I missed working with the sector. The sculptor Andy Goldsworthy once rather memorably said “A stone is ingrained with geological and historical memories”. How true this is - and how clearly demonstrated by the buildings ranged around Parliament Square that face your conference venue. The fact that Westminster Abbey is built with limestones from Caen in Normandy and from the Loire Valley, as well as from Portland and freestone from Reigate - or that Westminster Hall once boasted a great floor of Purbeck Stone - vividly illustrates the reach and influence of the Plantagenet Kings and the importance they attached to the use of prestigious building materials on a global – or at least European scale. And equally the York, Anston and Clipsham stones of Charles Barry’s Palace of Westminster - or the superb Portland stone courtyard of Portcullis House - all tell their own intriguing story of changing patterns of commerce, exploitation and display in the modern era. |
Herford Cathedral
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| Quite what
the magnificent concrete castings of the QE2 Centre will say to future
architectural historians, is less clear – but rest assured they will say
something!
It is five years, almost to the day, since I had the honour of launching the UK Minerals Forum at the second Living With Minerals conference. That was during my time as a Minister at Communities and Local Government, with a portfolio that included mineral planning. It has been an exciting five years. I found working with the minerals sector, and trying to understand the long term challenges as well as the immediate pressures, very stimulating and provoking too. Now, as Chair of English Heritage, I still draw on that experience and I hope I can now offer you a different but particularly interesting perspective on your work. And, in doing so, I would like to take the opportunity to describe how the work of the historic environment sector engages with - and often depends upon - you, the minerals industry. |
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| I must start,
however, by congratulating the UK Minerals Forum on how it has developed,
matured and delivered during its first five years. I understand that earlier
today, for example, its working groups were able to make an invaluable
contribution to your lively discussions.
The Forum is a prime example of how a genuinely representative group of stakeholders can be built from a diversity of interests. A diversity that I’m especially pleased to say includes strong environmental and heritage representation. |
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| I'm aware
that Nigel Jackson, as the principal architect of the Forum, is a great
believer in the value of building the mutual understanding and long-term
trust that it so ably demonstrates.
And it is doubly impressive that this is achieved without a penny of tax-payer's money or public sector grant-aid. |
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| It is an interesting but challenging fact of life that the real-world complexity of our cultural heritage quite often defies the neat geometry of Whitehall departments - where DCLG is responsible for land use planning, Defra for biodiversity, landscape and other aspects of land use and DCMS for the historic environment. All of this is quite seamless in the ‘real-world’ and English Heritage works hard to ensure that our thinking links up with that of the natural environment sector across departmental boundaries. And this is why it is so important that we create and take the opportunities for collaborative working and joined-up thinking between the environmental sector and business. It is why a mutual understanding of objectives is the key - and sustainability should be the common language - for dialogue and decision-making. |  |
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| Sustainability
and sustainable development are, of course, concepts that have recently
been in the news in the context of the emerging National Planning Policy
Framework. Having been heavily involved in responding to the NPPF both
in public and private I have said many times, recently, that English Heritage
believes that the planning system in England has, by and large, served
the country well – managing space and resources effectively in the most
populated country in Europe and creating and regenerating better places
to live and work. This does not mean, of course, that it cannot be improved,
but our goal should be to ensure that the growth agenda does not come at
too a high cost to the environment – in its broadest sense. And, as I understand
you have heard today, this is of vital importance to all countries that
take 'wealth from the ground' - not just our own.
We all know that minerals are not only vital to modern economic life - they have also been crucial in shaping England's remarkable historic environment. With its roots in prehistory, mineral extraction is sometimes referred to as the 'oldest industry'. There is certainly no doubt that it has been a major social and economic force throughout history. It is thought by scholars, for example, that the mineral wealth of these islands was a significant motive behind the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43. |
Higher Shilstone Granite | |
| And, during
the Industrial Revolution, the widespread use of stone, brick and other
materials for building at a time of prosperity and population growth made
a major contribution to the character and local distinctiveness of the
cultural heritage we value so highly today.
Minerals were fundamental to the early development of Britain's manufacturing industry. And they also played an important role in expanding overseas trade. For example, during the 18th century lead vied with iron for second place behind wool as England’s major export. So, an important theme for English Heritage and our sector is the historic legacy of past mineral extraction, mining and quarrying to the historic environment. |
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| If anything
exemplifies Britain’s historic contribution to the wider world, therefore,
it is arguably our pre-eminent role in its industrial revolution. And yet,
as our Industrial Heritage at Risk report published a few weeks ago illustrates,
it is this legacy of industry and manufacturing that is particularly poorly
served in terms of protection.
That is why, this year, we are concentrating attention on our industrial heritage. Above all, seeking to enable its understanding, appreciation and enjoyment by today's and future generations, as the key to securing its conservation. |
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| I am delighted, therefore, that we have commissioned the National Association of Mining History Organisations to undertake an innovative research project on the archaeology of the extractive industries. We believe this will highlight what a remarkable contribution your industry has made to our nation’s heritage. | St Paul's
Cathedral
Portland Limestone |
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| England is
one of the most geologically diverse countries in Europe - and our remarkable
variety of building stones has contributed to a wonderfully varied stock
of historic buildings.
So my second key theme tonight is the need to secure the supply of the traditional building materials that are vital for creating, maintaining and repairing the built heritage, whether in our distinctive villages or our major cities. |
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| Not only are these materials fundamental to sustaining our heritage: they are also important in building the heritage of the future. To ensuring it isn’t bland, mundane and devoid of reference to place. | ||
| I was delighted therefore when the Housing Minister called, a few months ago, for the greater use of traditional and locally distinctive materials for new buildings. English Heritage could not agree with him more. | ||
| But we know too little about the sources of these vital building materials. So, assisted by generous funding from DCLG, English Heritage, together with the British Geological Survey and partners in the voluntary sector, has been undertaking a major national survey - the Strategic Stone Study - to address precisely where these key sources are. | ||
| Public debate
on mineral extraction in England can often be dominated by the demand-driven
focus on aggregates. This is, of course, the most common type of mineral
operation today. But, the role of your industry in the shaping and vital
upkeep of the places people live in and hold dear, is perhaps a story that
needs to be more clearly expressed and therefore valued. It is a story
that could really benefit public perceptions of your industry.
My last key theme this evening, is how to manage the impacts of current and future minerals extraction – and the need to celebrate the benefits the minerals industry has brought to the understanding of the historic environment. |
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| Since the
1970s, mineral operators have made a major financial contribution to archaeological
investigations. Indeed, the industry has been the largest single commercial
sponsor of archaeological investigations, especially in advance of sand
and gravel extraction. I realise, of course, that you may find this a slightly
harder fact to celebrate than I do! But what you have contributed represents
a fundamental advance in our self-understanding as a nation. And I really
think both our sectors could do more to recognise this. Some archaeologists,
for example, should learn not to take this contribution quite so much for
granted and some minerals operators could better recognise that what we
are dealing with is irreplaceable evidence of our past.
For this reason, in recent years we have worked hard to ensure that this contribution is properly acknowledged, particularly through the, now sadly discontinued, Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund. We believe that the ALSF programme was very successful, and we very much hope that - if the Levy persists - an opportunity may arise in the future for a similar scheme. |
Chard Knapped flint |
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| In the meantime, we are continuing to work very hard to improve the relationship between the minerals industry, mineral planners, English Heritage and the wider archaeological sector. We have instigated a Minerals and Historic Environment Forum, which has published much praised technical guidance on mineral extraction and archaeology and devised an Agreed Basis for how we work together. | ||
| Much attention has focused - and will continue to focus - on the consistency of archaeological planning advice, the approach to pre-determination archaeological evaluation and the development of guidance and training. We are grateful to the minerals industry for their realistic views and their willingness to engage positively in this dialogue - and I can promise you that we will continue to reciprocate. | ||
| Thank you so much for inviting me here today. I do hope I have given you a better understanding of our interest and role in past, present and future mineral extraction. And I hope you have enjoyed today's conference. On behalf of English Heritage, may I wish you every success. | ||
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