Since the last Heritage Update, The Heritage Alliance has submitted a response toDEFRA’s air quality: draft clean air strategy, which was designed to outline the Government’s approach to reducing air pollution, making air healthier to breathe, protecting nature and boosting the environmental sector of the economy. The strategy was open to the public for consultation between 22nd May – 14th August.
Our overarching concern was that the heritage sector is not impacted by policies which are designed to reduce air pollution and should be excluded from and/or protected by future legislation. Heritage assets’ (such as mobile heritage and historic houses) contribution to air pollution levels is minimal, but most will be affected by future regulations relating to the use of coal or diesel and could face being abandoned and eventually lost – depriving the country of their cultural and economic value without making a meaningful contribution to the reduction of air pollution.