R E V I E W 29 priorities, generally reflecting the differences between those who visit and travel to Saltaire, and those who live in the village. The stakeholder event showed strong interest in the following areas: • an arts, cultural and/or visitors’ centre • an ‘open house’ to recreate Victorian working life • parking, pedestrian and alternative transport solutions • a distinct Saltaire ‘brand’. Residents were more concerned with building fabric, townscape and environmental issues, including empty properties at risk, the condition of alleyways at the rear of properties, enforcement issues on listed property and parking. At the same time data was collected via a visitors’ survey, employees at Bradford District Care Trust were canvassed about Saltaire as a place to work, and local schoolchildren took part in creative arts projects focussed on Saltaire. The issues raised were assessed by the Saltaire WHS officer, Helen Thornton, for inclusion in the draft management plan. The management plan was then developed with the steering group and put out to a nineweek public consultation via an online and paper-based survey, direct mail to stakeholders, a public exhibition in the village and a stall at Saltaire Festival. Feedback to the plan was reviewed by the steering group and revisions incorporated, creating a document with six key objectives and 63 action points on short-term, medium-term, aspirational and ongoing timescales. The process of establishing conservation and regeneration needs and engaging across the community has been both robust and comprehensive, with contributions made by groups and individuals encompassing diverse local community and economic interests. The extent to which these various social and economic uses have been recognised and understood, in what is ultimately a consensus plan, underpins the longterm safeguarding of Saltaire and its success in maintaining regeneration momentum and protecting its outstanding universal value. Establishing fair representation and encouraging individuals to contribute has not been without difficulty, evidenced in the limited public response to the consultation process. Key organisations have chosen not to be involved in drafting the plan (for example, Salts Mill which contributes so positively to the ongoing vitality of the village). Likewise, local residents are much more likely to engage in local environmental issues reactively. This is clear in a number of recent development proposals which have exercised sections of the community, including plans to reuse the historic weir for power generation, a new college building within the conservation area, and removal of existing trees which were not part of the original village design as part of streetscape restoration work. There will always be some conflicts over plans that split local opinion and these necessitate careful management by the local planning authority, particularly when balancing heritage with sustainability. Local residents are the majority stakeholders in the village and their quality of life is central to its success. Ultimately the value that they place on its heritage will sustain it as a place for the future, and local initiatives and activities suggest a rude grassroots health. They include: • Totally Locally Saltaire, an initiative which promotes local shops and businesses • A Taste of Saltaire, a local food growing project • The Saltaire Review, a new community magazine • Saltaire Festival, an annual festival founded in 2003 • Saltaire Inspired, an organisation which promotes arts and community events including makers’ fairs at Victoria Hall • Saltaire Arts Festival, for which residents open up their homes to display and sell the work of local artists • Saltaire Living Advent Calendar, during which windows in the village are decorated and lit for Christmas • at the time of writing a film production company is also on location in Salts Mill, shooting a film projected for release in 2015. These events have a far wider reach than the boundaries of the village and are a bellwether for the validity of the vision for Saltaire as ‘a welcoming and inclusive place with a vibrant community, which takes inspiration from its past, whilst planning for a sustainable future and striking an effective and creative balance between a place to live, invest in, work, learn and visit’ (Saltaire World Heritage Site Management Plan Consultation 2014). Recommended Reading J Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Random House, New York, 1961 Jo Lintonbon PhD is an architect and historian. She directs the MA in conservation and regeneration at Sheffield School of Architecture, University of Sheffield. She is the ICOMOS-UK representative on the Saltaire World Heritage Site steering group. Housing on Albert Road to the west of the village
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