| Conservation of the historic environment in London is controlled by a complex system of policies and regulations administered within the planning system. This system has recently been redefined at local, regional and national level and these new policies reflect the traditional importance attached to conservation within wider planning policies. However, current theory and research suggest that historic urban environments, notably town centres and residential areas, offer certain social, economic and environmental advantages to their communities when compared with 'purpose built' centres. The application of sensitive conservation and design policies to such areas may, therefore, be of equal importance to their regeneration as the provision of infrastructure or the creation of employment. Furthermore, the preservation and enhancement of London's diverse historic centres offer potential for long term, sustainable economic growth in line with current theory for sustainable development. Thus, while local policies currently provide a mechanism for protecting individual buildings from harmful alteration, generally they appear ill equipped to offer an effective development framework for historic town centres. The experiences of both the City of Westminster and Deptford High Street underline the dual need for a recognition and understanding of morphology and townscape quality on the one hand and economic and social factors on the other. In the context of London as a whole the absence of a strategic overview is anomalous with the historic value and cultural significance of the city. The devolution of responsibility for conservation to individual local authorities must be matched by adequate resources and a strong London-wide policy framework. Failure to satisfy this is likely to result in piecemeal application of national legislation and policy and the continued erosion of the diverse urban environments within the study area. |
