Residents in Hartlepool with an interest in conservation are being offered an exciting and important opportunity to help preserve Hartlepool’s heritage and character for future generations.
Hartlepool Borough Council is re-establishing a Conservation Area Advisory Committee, to help protect and maintain the borough’s conservation areas.
The Council has been reaching out to organisations – including the parish councils - involved in the last committee, to offer them the opportunity to be represented on the new one.
However, it wants to broaden the membership of the group and is seeking eight residents to sit on the committee, which will meet quarterly.
Councillor Karen Oliver, who will chair the committee, said: “Hartlepool’s conservation areas and heritage buildings are massively important and we are looking for people who share our passion for, and commitment to, preserving and enhancing them.
“We have so many wonderful areas and buildings across the borough – from Church Street to the Headland, our lovely villages and our residential areas such as Hutton Avenue, for example.
"We’re committed to restoring pride in Hartlepool, strengthening our communities, and creating a vibrant and thriving borough. Our conservation work plays a vital role in this journey, with heritage preservation at the heart of our exciting regeneration plans for the town.
“Re-establishing the Conservation Area Advisory Committee is a fantastic opportunity for local people to play a key part in this vision, so if you have the experience we are looking for, we would love to hear from you.”
The committee will:
- provide an independent voice on conservation issues
- support the development of conservation policy
- raise awareness of conservation issues
- ensure conservation in Hartlepool aligns with local and national policy and priorities
Hartlepool residents interested in being considered for the committee must live, work or own property in a conservation area or be able to demonstrate another interest in it, such as being a regular visitor, have a relevant professional qualification – such as an architect or building surveyor – or have a good knowledge of Hartlepool’s building heritage.
For more information – including a short form to outline why you would like to join the committee – please email heritage.countryside@hartlepool.gov.uk. Completed forms must be returned by Friday 31 October.