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Resolution 1924 (2013) Final version
Industrial heritage in Europe
1. The Parliamentary Assembly recalls
Europe’s pioneering role in global industrialisation, which is also reflected
by the majority of European industrial heritage sites which are
included on the Unesco World Heritage lists (36 out of 46). It believes
that European industrial heritage – including both its tangible
and intangible components – is a building block of our shared identity
as it reflects a rich historic interaction through the transfer
of skills and expertise, technology and processes across national
boundaries. The understanding and appreciation of this European
heritage and its most significant sites must therefore be passed
on to future generations.
2. The Assembly considers that the effective protection of European
industrial heritage requires a European label for industrial heritage
to provide an intermediary (European) level of protection for the
sites of a clearly European, if not world, significance which would
also cover so-called “heritage constellations” (sites that are thematically
or territorially interconnected).
3. The Assembly calls for continuous encouragement of public
involvement and volunteer work to generate awareness and appreciation
of the value of industrial heritage and contribute through grassroots
initiatives to designating for protection, preserving and converting
to new uses thousands of industrial heritage sites across Europe.
In this respect, the Assembly supports the campaign of the European
Federation of Associations of Industrial and Technical Heritage
(E-FAITH) calling for a European Industrial Heritage Year in 2015.
4. With a view to ensuring that the legacy of Europe’s Age of
Industry is safeguarded for future generations, the Assembly recommends
that the member States of the Council of Europe:
4.1. sign, ratify and implement the
European Landscape Convention (ETS No. 176) and the Council of Europe
Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society
(CETS No. 199, “Faro Convention”);
4.2. join the Council of Europe Enlarged Partial Agreement
on Cultural Routes and the European Route of Industrial Heritage
network (ERIH), which provide an excellent framework for concerted
action to promote and preserve European heritage at the national
and international level;
4.3. include in the legislation on protection of historic sites
specific criteria to be applied to industrial heritage, so that
a greater number of sites can be designated for protection;
4.4. create interdisciplinary research teams, with, inter alia, scientific and technical
expertise, to draw up and regularly update comprehensive inventories
of the industrial heritage at regional and national level;
4.5. ensure that advisory panels composed of experts and representatives
of official agencies work and take decisions in a transparent manner
when considering sites for protection;
4.6. value volunteer expertise and create co-operation mechanisms
to associate non-governmental organisations with various procedures
related to the protection and effective management of industrial heritage,
and, when necessary, nurture volunteer resources by providing capacity-building
initiatives;
4.7. value industrial heritage sites as part of a wider social
landscape interconnected with skills and local memory and identity,
and consider its potential as a key element of territorial development strategies;
4.8. encourage the establishment of a network of multidisciplinary
task forces – bringing together expertise in relevant domains such
as building history, monument protection, urban planning and financial
strategies, investment and partnerships – to facilitate knowledge
sharing in sustainable regeneration projects that are driven by
rehabilitation of industrial heritage sites;
4.9. introduce measures to safeguard relevant disused industrial
heritage sites from destruction, particularly in urban areas where
land values are high;
4.10. enter all sites of interest into official planning databases
or their equivalent, in order to enable constructive dialogue between
property developers and conservationists;
4.11. encourage community involvement, not only to preserve
local testimonies and identity, but also to define the scope of
regeneration projects;
4.12. when converting industrial buildings to new uses, introduce
measures to guarantee respect of the character and the integrity
of buildings, as well as the character of the community;
4.13. facilitate provision of resources through private–public
partnerships to ensure that funds are available for heritage conservation
within rehabilitation projects of industrial sites;
4.14. create partnerships with private and non-governmental
organisations to raise awareness and appreciation of the value of
industrial heritage and seek interaction with other cultural resources
and cultural heritage sites that are available locally, regionally
and internationally (for example through cultural walks, cultural
routes and networks, European Heritage Day events, theme activities,
etc.).
5. The Assembly invites the European Union and Unesco to:
5.1. co-operate with the Council
of Europe in supporting the effective implementation of the Council of
Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for
Society and the European Landscape Convention with respect to industrial
heritage;
5.2. consider the possibility of launching, together with the
Council of Europe, a European industrial heritage year in 2015;
5.3. engage in a pan-European exchange and networking together
with the Council of Europe and other relevant organisations having
expertise in industrial heritage, such as the European Route of Industrial
Heritage network, the European Federation of Associations of Industrial
and Technical Heritage and Europa Nostra, with a view to:
5.3.1. developing guidance and financial
incentives for the protection and preservation of industrial heritage
sites across Europe;
5.3.2. establishing a catalogue of good practice and case studies
drawn from a wide range of countries, highlighting the heritage
conservation part in different projects;
5.3.3. providing an overview of Europe’s industrial heritage,
either on a country-by-country basis or thematically, and preparing
thematic (sector-by-sector) studies to underline the role of industrial
heritage in forging the European identity;
5.3.4. establishing a comprehensive and representative list of
European industrial monuments;
5.3.5. studying how best to utilise potential energy sources
in industrial buildings (reuse of the building structure, recycling
of materials, etc.);
5.3.6. studying how best to reconcile ecological measures (for
example European Union water directives), building standards and
risk prevention norms with the preservation of the integrity of industrial
heritage.
6. The Assembly invites the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
of the Council of Europe to take account of the present resolution
and to promote co-operation between local and regional authorities
in the area of the protection and promotion of industrial heritage.