A presentation by the Heritage Umbrella Body (HUB) Steering Committee delegates to the Arts &...

A presentation by the

Heritage Umbrella Body (HUB) Steering Committee delegates

to the

Arts & Culture PPC.

Condensed Vers 20 Jun 2006

A National Trust for South Africa

A vision for the future of our Heritage

20 Jun 2006AGENDA

What is “The Hub” ?

How do we define ‘Heritage’

Who’s responsible?

Reality Check 1

Where are the Heritage Sites

Have we made mistakes ?

On the Ground

National Heritage Umbrella

Cartoon

UK National Trust

English Heritage

Other overseas sites

What local models exist

How organisations qualify

What can we do

What do we need

Enthusiasm

Contact-details

What is the HUB ?At this stage we are a group of Heritage Organisations based in

the Peninsula dedicated to the creation of a Heritage Umbrella Body and include :

PMG note: graphics not included, please email [email protected]

The Historical Society of Cape Town The Josephine Mill

The Friends of Mostert’s Mill Mosterts Mill Mowbray


Hout Bay & Llandudno Heritage Trust


Muizenberg Historical & Conservation Society Het Posthuis


Kalk Bay Historical and Conservation Society Kalk Bay harbour


Simon’s Town Historical Society Palace Barracks


How do we define

HeritageDict:-

What is or may be inherited.

That which we will pass on to future generations.

SA’s Heritage

Where do the responsibilities lie?

The Paradox of Ownership

Arts & CultureEnvironment & Tourism

Cultural HeritageNatural Heritage

NHRANEMA

Potential for confusion or even conflictor worse still.....

Neglect and irrecoverable loss of valuabe heritage assets.

SA’s National Heritage Estate

• National & Provincial Parks

• Museums

• Heritage Sites (assets)

SA’s Heritage Conservation Dilemma.

Means that -

• Insufficient conservation will take place.• Few sites will be conserved.• Heritage tourism opportunities and jobs will not materialise.• Many sites will be irrevocably lost.


The sad fact is -


if you don’t use it you’ll lose it!


however -


If you don’t know you had it -

you wont even miss it!

SA’s Heritage Conservation Dilemma.Where do we find “heritage”?

What are we actually looking for?

The sites are diverse

Our history stretches through recorded time

and beyond - to the origins of man

PMG note: map not included, please email [email protected]

Cape St Blaise Cave . Mossel Bay


Tourist attraction Khoi-San “village” next to cave


The Post Huis after restoration by Muizenberg Historical Society. NGO


Boschendal a tourism drawcard


Another possible Heritage Jewel ? ‘Kronendal’ the oldest surviving farm in the Country.


Many children have never seen cattle like these once grazed here.


Cattle like those you have just seen were tended by slaves, the ancestors of this man who still lives nearby but no longer works on the farm which the owner wants to sell to developers.


Recently a restaurant – today, the magnificent homestead is an estate agents sales office


New Hout Bay Fire Station net to Kronendal.


There are a few successes.

Heritage Square. CT CBD

Restored 18th Century Town Houses


Before


.....After


Mamre’s historic water mill - almost destroyed by fire recently.


Mamre Mission Church


If we then ask - ‘Where can we find the evidence of our past’?

Throughout the country. Particularly in and around our urban communities, where cultural history has its roots and where, in some cases, local organisations already exist to help preserve their heritage.

What is happening on the ground in communities?

Reality Check

With a small purse you can only save so much


Mamre 2005

Behind the buildings seen on previous slide


Have we made mistakes !

New BOE Bldg V&A Waterfront


2001, the restored remnants of Chavonne’s Battery c.1724The second oldest structure in Cape Town. Preserved for the

public at a cost to the developer of R10M+


A year or so later......


Today it is closed .........

It is easy for authorities to ‘demand the earth’ if they don't have to pay!

It was preserved - but there was no viable business plan to sustain it at the time of its inception. It could be saved at more expense but it may remain

a ten million Rand lemon!


We are talking about a huge Asset Management Problem, and World-wide, governments have not been equal to the challenge

without the help of the public and their community organisations!

What is happening on the ground in our communities?

In practice - In South Africa, with impunity, you can: -

Desecrate sites with graffiti.

Scala Battery Simonstown


Vandalise

Chapman’s Peak


Allow to burn down

Hout Bay


Neglect

Fast Fout – Hout Bay

East Fort - Hout BayPMG note: graphics not included, please email [email protected]

Flagrantly destroy.....our heritage.The site of the Noordhoek ‘Look out’ recently knocked down by the TMNP


We are losing our assets daily and we are losing the potential benefit of :

Heritage TourismInternational & Domestic

Why can’t our communities get their acts together?

Reality :-

If you want to conserve or restore heritage sites in your community you will have to undertake a lengthy, complicated and costly process.

Not for the faint hearted!

And the cost will probably exceed:-•Prepare a Concept Plan

•Motivate the grading of the site

•Environmental Impact Report

•Heritage Impact Assessment

•Prepare a Conservation Plan

•Archaeological Permits and digs

•Local Authority Permits

•PHRA permits

R15000

R10000

R20000

R10000

R20000

R25000

R?

R?

+/- R100 000

….and that is just for the initial:-

Paperwork.

No wonder we are losing our heritage!

Legislation should help to encourage:

Heritage Tourism

Heritage Terrorism

How can we help communities to realise their heritage projects?

By creating an “Umbrella” body which will help community based heritage organisations to interface with the heritage authorities.

• Help identify potential heritage projects.• Help to motivate Grading Applications. • Help to create Conservation Plans.• Help create Sustainable Business Plans.• Help to find resources and raise funds

A National Heritage Trust Umbrella

• What would be the objective ?– To help save South Africa’s Heritage by using

external leverage & resources currently untapped.– To use our heritage as a Tourism drawcard to

educate current and future generations of South Africans and overseas visitors.

– To define, explain and promote our heritage in such a way that it is understood and appreciated by all.

A National Heritage Trust Umbrella

• How can it be achieved ?

break

12th Jan 1895

Octavia Hill

Robert Hunter

Hardwicke Rawnsley

12th Jan 1895

Octavia Hill

Robert Hunter

Hardwicke Rawnsley

Formed the

UK ‘National Trust’

An Example:- The National Trust

100 years old and now protect:

• 244000 hectares of land & 925km Coastline

• 165 Major Historic Houses & 19 Castles

• 276 Gardens, deer or landscape parks.

• 431 Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

• 31 National Nature Reserves

• 60,000 Archaeological sites

An Example:- The UK National Trust

They employ:

• 3,000 permanent staff

• 4,000 seasonal staff

• 37,000 volunteers

Their economic contribution to Britain, as one of their biggest tourism drawcards, is enormous!

They are the largest custodian of private land in the UK, an NGO, registered as a charity.

However:-

The UK National Trust has evolved over time and now has multiple regions (or provinces)

and a highly developed

infrastructure.

But it all started in a little community 100

years ago

PMG note: map not included, please email [email protected]

The UK Heritage Statutory Regulator

ENGLISH HERITAGE

However

Right now an organisation like the UK National Trust is out of reach!

We have to look elsewhere.

...but we can look at other overseas examples, small as well as large.

A presentation by the Heritage Umbrella Body (HUB) Steering Committee delegates to the Arts &...

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