Conservation-led regeneration approaches

Collaborative, conservation-led approaches have been adopted as the basis for a number of successful regeneration initiatives. Careful and sensitive exploitation of the built heritage resource to achieve social, economic and environmental benefits can result in high quality sustainable solutions to the regeneration of urban and rural areas. The sympathetic rehabilitation of redundant housing above shops can, for example, play an important part in revitalising a declining town centre or historic urban quarter. The environmental impact of larger scale conservation initiatives can help to raise business confidence in an area and thus contribute to its economic regeneration. A renewed interest in and appreciation of the industrial heritage of a town or village can also help rekindle a sense of civic pride and local identity which can then be used as a catalyst for its more widespread regeneration.