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N°165
pose-built housing for the increasing num-
ber of students at ath’s tÜo excellent uni-
versities. The programme has regenerated
run-doÜn areas and brought revenue to
the shops, all goodÆ but it has also made
property unavailable for the home maret
and social housing.
7hile many changes are good, some are
fiercely resented: Residents don’t Üant the
cobbled streets, Regency shop fronts and
Palladian architecture to be ruined Üith
modern development. Many of the street
„improvement“ schemes carried out du-
ring the näs and äs Üere expensive and
totally inappropriate, but Üere bulldozed
through by trendy officials lacing histori-
cal understandingÆ there Üas even a mo-
ment Ühen our Üorld heritage status Üas
under threat. TÜo more recent decisions
Üere particularly controversial. The first
Üas the Christmas Maret. For almost
three Üees, just Ühen locals are readying
themselves for the festive rush, dozens of
Üooden sheds croÜd the central areasÆ re-
sidents¼ paring spaces disappear and
coaches line access roads, causing bloca-
ges. 7e hate it, but it’s very successful so
Üill doubtless expand further! The second
decision Üas to build a casino. This city
made its fortune from gambling in the dis-
tant past, but proposals to build a modern
casino opposite the famous Theatre Royal
caused considerable concern. Our city is
home to dozens of street people as Üell as
the hundreds of youngsters studying hereÆ
maing a profit from Ühat can become an
expensive addiction maes for a bad
image and conflicts Üith government pro-
posals to limit gambling. 7e protested,
uselessly, so must live Üith it.
The latest outcry concerns the £Èth centu-
ry Abbey. This historic building, lying in
the heart of the old city, is the focal point
for us all. 7hen it Üas completed, the na-
ve Üas an empty spaceÆ the nobility had
stools, the populace nelt at stone ben-
ches around the Üalls. Then the Victorian
architect, Sir ilbert Scott, enhanced the
church Üith chandeliers and beautifully
carved peÜs, Ühich residents have prized
since £nÈä. oÜever, the Abbey noÜ re-
quires serious restoration. Due to the £x3
dissolution of the monasteries, all the
smaller churches Üere demolished, so bu-
rials too place under the Abbey’s flag-
stones. The bodies have since decomposed
causing the floor to subside. Repairs are
underÜay, but Üith smaller congregations
and insufficient donations, funds are ur-
gently needed. The Abbey’s best option is
commercial development. y opening a
café, visitor facilities and education centre,
all heated using the thermal Üater, they
Üill attract more revenue... but first they
must remove the peÜs. The Victorian So-
ciety is outraged and protested furiously,
so the case for and against Üas put to the
Diocesan councilÆ the Abbey Üon, but the
determined Victorians intend to appeal.
ehind this quandary, hoÜever, lies anot-
her. The huge support church commissio-
ners are providing for the Abbey Üould fi-
nance badly-needed repairs to six old
churches around the country. Nothing is
simple Ühen it comes to heritage.
Change can be hard to live Üith but even
die-hards lie me accept its necessity. All
Üe as is that it doesn’t destroy Ühat sur-
vived the £4Ó litz and the council’s de-
termination to continue that destruction.
Only concerted efforts by men lie the po-
et ohn etjeman, and even Prince
Charles, a champion of architectural inte-
grity, helped locals stop Ühat became
noÜn as the „Sac of ath.“ The glorio-
us, pale stone buildings of visionary archi-
tects gleaming in the evening sunÆ the
quaint bac streets and period shop-fronts
are special. A Üorld heritage site is not
just for us, it’s for future generations to en-
joy and learn from. ath is unique and in
a Üorld constantly changing, nothing
should change that.