Content

11.1

The Executive Director City Futures submitted
a report responding to the request from Full Council
that the Heritage Strategy for Sheffield be added to the Strategy
and Resources Policy Committee workplan.
 
The
endorsement of Strategy and Resources Policy Committee is requested
against the initial actions identified, plus support for
exploration into creating and sustaining a Sheffield City Council
Heritage Officer post to help continue this work with the
sector.
 
The
Strategy and Resourced Committee is also recommended to formally
adopt the Joined Up Heritage Sheffield Heritage
Strategy.

 

 

11.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That
Strategy and Resources Policy Committee:-

 

 

 

(i)
agrees to adopt the Heritage Strategy appended, as developed by
Joined Up Heritage Sheffield;
 
(ii)
notes the progress already being made in embedding heritage in
Sheffield City Council policy and activity;
 
(iii)
endorses the initial Heritage Strategy Action Plan actions
identified;
 
(iv)
support the exploration of ways to create and sustain a Sheffield
City Council Heritage Officer post to help continue this work with
the sector; and
 
(v)
notes that implementation of the Heritage Action Plan will be
monitored over a 12 month period and future reports will be brought
to this committee.

 

 

11.3

Reasons for
Decision

 

 

11.3.1

The motion passed by Full
Council noted (in summary) that:
 
·      
the Heritage Strategy for Sheffield is
unique in being a community-led strategy, created from the ground
up by grass roots organisations;

 
·      
the aim of a Heritage Strategy is to
protect and enhance a city’s heritage and invigorate interest
and development; believing that Sheffield’s heritage is
defined in its widest sense including not only physical assets such
as historic buildings and structures, archaeological sites,
historic townscapes and landscapes, scheduled monuments, registered
parks and gardens, but also museums and art galleries and their
collections, archives, libraries, public art, natural habitats,
people and communities, spoken stories and much more;

 
·      
Sheffield’s unique heritage is
particularly inclusive, embracing the customs, traditions and
skills developed locally, such as the 107 languages spoken,
radicalism, anti-slavery campaigning, music, our working
men’s clubs, and Sheffield as the Home
of Football;

 
·      
the importance of Heritage to our city
recognises its social, environmental, educational and well-being
benefits and its economic potential;

  
·      
the Heritage sector is an important
source of economic prosperity and growth with a total GVA (Gross
Value Added) of £36bn, supporting over 500,000
jobs nationally.

 
By
formally adopting the Sheffield Heritage Strategy, Strategy and
Resources Committee endorses all the benefits set out
above.
 
The
attached Action Plan sets out a way forward for Sheffield City
Council to fulfil its role and further benefit from the
opportunities which heritage offers.
 
In
order to respond most positively to the heritage agenda, additional
officer capacity would be needed to fulfil this
potential.

 

 

11.4

Alternatives
Considered and Rejected

 

 

11.4.1

Over
recent years, Sheffield City Council has come to value the
city’s built heritage and distinctiveness through successful
developments such as Kelham Island and Heart of the City, as well
as community-based projects run by the University of Sheffield like
Roots and Futures.
 
By
adopting the Heritage Strategy and Heritage Action Plan, Sheffield
City Council demonstrates support and leadership to maximise the
benefits of heritage to the city.
 
While
heritage-positive attitudes and priorities can be built into many
areas of the Council’s work, we are severely limited by lack
of capacity in developing this beneficial area of work.
 
An alternative approach would
be to reject the idea of exploring a dedicated Heritage
Officer.  If this approach was taken,
much of the activity outlined in 1.13 and the Action Plan will
either not take place or will happen slowly and in a piecemeal
way.