MP's plea over historic buildings

12.00.00am GMT Wed 12th Mar 2008

Protect our historic buildings

English Heritage should make a full inspection of Colchester's historic buildings so that they can be Listed to protect them from demolition.

That was the plea made in the House of Commons by the Town's MP Bob Russell.

Mr Russell said: "There is a serious problem in getting buildings Listed as a result of English Heritage being understaffed."

Calling on the Government to provide additional resources for English Heritage, he added: "Will the Minister see how English Heritage can go into Britain's Oldest Recorded Town where many buildings are historic but threatened with demolition?"

Responding, Heritage Minister Mrs Margaret Hodge said that additional resources had been given to English Heritage over a three-year period. Parliament would shortly be considering draft legislation resulting from the Heritage Protection Review.

Afterwards Mr Russell said that it had been many years since an inspection had been made in Colchester to see which further buildings should be given Listed status to help protect them. "There are, for example, several buildings in the St Botolph's Street area which should be retained and incorporated in the proposed re-development of that part of town, not pulled down and replaced with modern architecture inappropriate to the heritage of an historic town. I hope that my request to the Minister will result in far more attention being paid by both Government and Colchester Borough Council towards retaining, not destroying, the character of our town."