Heritage Assets: London

Opened the debate

The MP emphasised the importance of heritage for tourism, highlighting examples like Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. She expressed concerns about the vulnerability of historical sites in her constituency as per Historic England's annual at-risk register, citing specific instances such as Bevis Marks synagogue and Simpson’s Tavern. The speech also addressed ongoing disputes over development versus preservation, particularly in Soho with pavement licensing schemes and gas lamps replacement. Nickie Aiken advocated for preserving heritage assets to support tourism and cultural institutions like theatres and museums that are vital to the local economy.

Government Response

The Minister highlighted the importance of heritage sites in UK tourism, mentioning over 3900 listed buildings in the Cities of London and Westminster. She discussed ongoing discussions between Arts Council England and English National Opera regarding funding cuts and praised the Queen’s theatre as a beneficiary of levelling-up grants. The minister acknowledged tensions between development and heritage preservation but emphasised that local planning authorities must consider national policy guidelines to protect heritage sites, with some cases requiring intervention from the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. She praised campaigns like the Gasketeers’ efforts to preserve gas lamps and noted ongoing work by Historic England on at-risk sites. The minister also highlighted Government funding support for cultural institutions and theatre scenes in London through Arts Council England's programmes and the culture recovery fund during the pandemic.