Conserving Our Landscape Heritage
The Trust is now established as the only organisation able to give the most comprehensive advice on the county’s historic designed landscapes to Local Authorities, environmental organisations, owners and developers. We are also acknowledged by both English Heritage and The Garden History Society (the Government’s Statutory Consultee) as their first point of contact in the county.
Our professionally trained Conservation Team monitors and comments on planning applications for both Registered and Local sites and advises on Local Development Framework documents - in time these will replace Local Plans. Owners and developers are now asking for advice prior to submission of their planning applications and Local Authorities are also consulting the Team on repair and restoration of historic parks and gardens in their ownership.
Local Lists of Historic Gardens: This is a project building on the work of HGT's Research Group where the Conservation Team is producing a set of gazetteers covering each of the ten local authority areas in Hertfordshire, identifying the significance of all unregistered sites and adding in to each the appropriate planning dimension. The Local Lists are of value to all planning officers and of interest to many members of the public and to date we have completed volumes for St Albans and Dacroum with Welwyn-Hatfield now underway.
Conservation Seminars: The HGT together with The Garden History Society ran a Study Day on Geoffrey Jellicoe and the Water Gardens in Hemel in April 2011. This has resulted in recognition that the gardens are badly in need of restoration. This has been recognised by Dacorum Borough Council who have backed the submission of a Stage 1 application to the Heritage Lottery Fund. We are now working with Dacorum BC to prepare the landscape history and assessments for this bid.
Our previous major seminar focused on Golf in Historic Landscapes and was held in partnership with English Heritage and the Association of Gardens Trusts when views and opinions expressed at the seminar were subsequently included in English Heritage's Guidance on Golf in Historic Parks and Gardens.
Email us at conservation@hertsgardenstrust.org.uk