Glasgow Citywide Trust, Scottish Conservation Forum, GCT

Glasgow Citywide Trust : Conservation Forum

Historic Buildings in Strathclyde : Glasgow Conservation Trust, Scotland

29 Oct 2005

Glasgow Conservation Forum

COUNCIL CREATES SCANDALOUS GAP IN CITYWIDE HERITAGE TRUSTS

There is extreme concern at the tardiness of GCC’s efforts to set up the new Citywide Trust by April ‘06: initial plans will appear only in December 2005, in a report to the Council’s Development and Regeneration Services Committee. Letters have of course been written to main funders GCC and Historic Scotland on these issues.

Glasgow Conservation Forum (Ann Laird, Friends of Glasgow West, and Karin Currie, Pollokshields Heritage) met with a citywide audience in September to raise awareness. Sebastian Tombs of Architecture and Design Scotland spoke at this meeting, and shared our concerns for the future management of one of the city’s most valuable and prized assets, its built heritage.

As early as April 2005, forthcoming changes in Glasgow’s Conservation Trusts were flagged in a council report. Glasgow Conservation Trust West has long been planned to end with this financial year, and the new Citywide Trust to begin – but when? Already John Russell and Lynn Carson Rickards have left GCTW, and Gordon Urquhart remains in post for only a few months.

Scottish Executive policy has moved forward in recent time, and principal trust funder Historic Scotland has also announced new strategic aims. “Citywide” conservation trusts are now the model in Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness etc. Edinburgh and Glasgow should be ahead of the game, with already existing trusts. Glasgow’s new Trust must build on the strong existing foundation of trust in people and local knowledge of places, but it may not be soon enough to prevent good work from being thrown away.

Ann Laird

Friends of Glasgow West

Oct 2005