Retaining the past - a perspective on urban conservation

Great Britain has one of the most advanced, conservation-oriented, planning structures in the world. For South Africa, embroiled in an extensive era of conflict over race and power relations, conservation issues have remained a low priority until recently. As conservation of the built environment and protection of the natural environment become more significant in the growing global coinage of sustainable development, South African planning has much ground to make up to draw level with the procedures and technologies employed by world leaders in conservation. To that end, British and American legal, policy and decision-making experience and cultural influences were examined for compatibility with South African conditions. This survey suggests the fragmented local cultural context seem philosophically and culturally closer to American than British circumstances. South Africa’s evolving legal frameworks for conservation are briefly reviewed, including aspects of the National Heritage Resources Act, Number 25 of 1999. Comparisons with British and American experience suggests several flaw s in this law. These include • failure to grasp the considerable difference between the overall conservation of (structure's dominant characteristics, and the detailed preservation of culturally important objects;• The composition of the governing Council, of the South African Heritage Resource Agency (SAHRA),• A blurred focus from covering too much ground in an omnibus Act,• Conflicting overlaps with other legislation are also problematic. With regard to the emphasis on conservation and technology however, there may be much of value in British precedents.