UNESCO: 80th Anniversary
Debate between Anna Dixon and Jonathan Davies(1 week, 2 days ago)
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Jonathan Davies
I know the intangible heritage there is in Stoke-on-Trent and I encourage my hon. Friend to join the all-party parliamentary group on UNESCO world heritage sites, of which I am the chair, because that might be a vehicle to progress the bid. She is very welcome to speak to me about that.
The Derwent valley in my constituency is the home of the industrial revolution, where planners such as Jedediah Strutt and Richard Arkwright harnessed the power of the River Derwent and built the mills that set Britain on a path to economic growth and prosperity. Their groundbreaking approach was copied throughout the world.
At the heart of the Derwent valley are the Belper mills, which have tragically been allowed to fall into a poor state of repair. I am working to change that, but, for the time being, they remain a painful and unsightly reminder that the Government’s commitment to national renewal is sorely needed.
Anna Dixon (Shipley) (Lab)
It was a delight to welcome my hon. Friend to Saltaire recently as part of the World Heritage UK conference, where he saw the regeneration of Salts Mill at the heart of our world heritage site and the amazing regeneration that it has brought to the whole village. Is that an example that he thinks his own world heritage site could learn from?
Jonathan Davies
Salts Mill is the gold standard of conservation and heritage restoration and the David Hockney paintings that can be seen there are truly remarkable—I encourage all colleagues to go to Saltaire and visit Salts Mill. My hon. Friend does a great job promoting what that wonderful community has to offer. There is a high bar to reach with the repair of the Belper mills; I hope we can achieve a similar calibre to that of Salts Mill.
I was motivated to re-establish the all-party parliamentary group on UNESCO world heritage sites this summer by a desire to raise the profile of these vital places. My aspiration is to use the group to build the components of a national strategy that can share best practice across the UK and raise the profile of places such as the Belper mills and the Derwent Valley Mills world heritage site.