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This plan sets out Dorset Council and BCP Council objectives for the Historic Environment Record and will steer HER development over the next five years.
The plan is in part structured in accordance with a template provided by Historic England, the body with oversight of HERs in England. It refers to national benchmarks for HERs and draws upon an audit of the Dorset HER undertaken in 2019. It provides a yardstick against which HER progress and performance against national standards can be measured.
This plan will help deliver Dorset Council’s priorities for the next four years.
As stated in Dorset Council’s Plan 2020-2024 it will contribute to:
In Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council’s Plan it will contribute to:
This plan will be used by the Historic Environment Team as a framework as we work to develop and enhance the HER. It will be used by Dorset Council, Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council, Historic England and other HER users and stakeholders to monitor progress and identify where resources are required. It will support bids for external funding and participation in national projects.
This plan is also a statement of our immediate plans and long-term aspirations for current and potential volunteers, for local authority colleagues who will be using the HER more regularly and to better effect, for parish liaison officers and the councils and communities they represent.
The national Heritage Information Access Strategy (HIAS) is a programme of interlinked projects designed to simplify and improve public access to heritage data held or generated by Historic England, by Local Authority Historic Environment Records and by other bodies.
HIAS Principle 1 is that Local Authority HERs should be the first point of call for and primary trusted source of investigative research data and knowledge.
The Dorset Cultural Strategy 2016-21 discusses the role of culture in creating:
Heritage and the historic environment feature throughout but are considered particularly in Outcome Three of the strategy (Understanding, enjoying, and safeguarding Dorset’s environment with planning for the future) which states the following ambitions:
A. Cultural needs and culture’s potential to improve the public realm and historic environment is integrated into local planning guidance and policy.
B. Public awareness of opportunities in Dorset’s environment for cultural activity.
C. Dorset is internationally recognised for excellence in using culture and creativity to engender understanding and stewardship of the environment.
D. The collaborative actions of culture and environment organisations has resulted in climate change awareness and mitigation within local communities.
The strategy identifies as a priority (Outcome Three, Priority 1.ii):
‘Secure recognition of cultural infrastructure in planning policy because: i. Culture plays a major role in reducing health inequalities through preventative lifestyle changes; and ii. Culture offers community and environmental benefit, integrating relevant evidence such as the Historic Environment Record, with the resources of archives, libraries, museums, natural environment, and sport.’
This Forward Plan will help promote and support local delivery of:
The following objectives have been identified over the next five years:
The background to these objectives is discussed in more detail in the next section.
5 Issues and opportunities