The Welsh Government's proposed law to protect historic buildings and monuments should proceed to the next step in the legislative process, says the National Assembly's Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee. But, the Committee has called for the Government to amend the Bill to give greater protection for historic place names.
The Committee supported the Bill, which largely makes changes to the existing laws aimed at protecting and preserving Wales' monuments and historic buildings. In particular, it suggested that new enforcement measures, such as enforcement and temporary stop notices, would better equip authorities in the fight to preserve Wales' heritage.
Despite its support for the Bill, the Committee highlighted the fact that historic Welsh place names currently have no legal protection and could be changed with little or no challenge. According to the Committee, this was a gap within the law that needs to be addressed.
"It is essential that our cultural and architectural heritage is protected for generations to come. We believe that the Historic Environment (Wales) Bill has the potential to contribute to that aim. However, we heard compelling evidence about the role of historic place names and the unique insight that they provide to Wales' heritage," said Christine Chapman AM, Chair of the Committee.
"It was surprising to hear that names that have been around for centuries have no statutory protection and could easily be changed. We believe that the Bill provides an ideal opportunity to rectify this.
"There are also a number of areas within the Bill that we would like to see strengthened and we look forward to a positive response from the Deputy Minister on these matters.
The Historic Environment (Wales) Bill will now be debated by the full Assembly where Members will vote on whether the Bill can progress to stage 2 of the law-making process.
Historic Environment Bill Stage 1 report
More information about the Historic Environment (Wales) Bill can be found here.
More information about the Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee can be found here.
Images: Russell Trow (Flickr), Jean Mottershead (Flickr) under Creative Commons