Society for protecting 20th-century buildings given new statutory role in Wales
A society for protecting 20th-century architecture has been given a new statutory role in Wales.
The Twentieth Century Society – an independent group of heritage experts and volunteers – said they were “delighted” to have been appointed as a statutory consultee in Wales, after holding the same role in England since 2005.
From October 3rd 2022, all local authorities in Wales will be formally required to notify the Society of any planning applications for listed building consent and demolition.
The news, confirmed by Cadw (the Welsh heritage body) and the Welsh Government, will help C20 to preserve more of modern architectural and design heritage across the nation, they said..
In recent years, the protection and plight of modern Welsh heritage has become a subject of increasing public debate. From campaigns to save the brutalist Argoed school and Swansea Civic Centre, to listing applications for Richard Rogers’ Inmos Microprocessor Factory in Newport and the Plas Menai National Outdoor Centre.
The society had previously campaigned to stop the demolition of an Art Deco house on Marine Drive in Rhos-on-Sea (above). Conwy Council’s planning committee ultimately voted to knock it down.
C20 Cymru was formed in 2020, to support the Society on our casework and campaigns in Wales, while running events and raising awareness.
Their Chair, Susan Fielding, said: “We are delighted that the valuable role of the Twentieth Century Society in informing decision-making around the modern built and design heritage has been officially recognised in Wales. This is an important step in improving protection for C20 heritage across the nation.”
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Very pleased to hear that C20 Cymru has been given statutory status and hopefully this will help in affording more protection for the important endangered buildings of the previous century. The 20th century saw many innovative building techniques and design trends and it is important not to lose the buildings that exemplify the best of these. There is often very little thought given by developers to retaining these iconic structures in terms of sustainability. Demolition and rebuild may seem an easy option but a more thoughtful approach that includes retention of an existing structure is far less damaging in environmental… Read more »