Seminar to be held on maintaining built heritage

A one-day seminar will be held in Derry – Londonderry to highlight the importance of maintaining built heritage.

Derry City and Strabane District Council is to host the event which aims to shine the spotlight on the need for regular inspection and maintenance of historic buildings to ensure their future conservation and re-use.

The event, entitled: “Prevention is better than the Cure” will take place on Thursday 9^th March at the Verbal Arts Centre, Stable Lane, Derry from 9.30 am to 3.30pm.

Among the speakers taking part in the seminar are Chris McCollum, a Building Conservation Surveyor with Building Conservation Surveyors Ltd; Douglas Kent, Technical & Research Director with the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings; Richard Diment, Executive Manager with Lead Sheet Association and Caroline Maguire, Architect, Heritage Advice & Regulation Branch of the DfC Historic Environment Division.

Ronan O’Donnell, from the Regeneration Section of Derry City and Strabane District Council, says the event will be of particular interest to architects, engineers, conservation and planning officials, building owners, building contractors, historical societies, students, or anyone with a keen interest in preserving our historic buildings.

“This event is part of a public awareness initiative the Council is running as part of District Council Maintenance Week Catalyst thanks to funding from the DfC Historic Environment Division,” he continued.

“The Scheme allows us to promote regular maintenance of buildings to avoid more serious defects occurring in the future.”

“The deterioration of many properties is often not the result of neglect but a lack of understanding and we hope this event will allow us to educate and inform property owners the importance of early intervention and how it can prevent costly defects at a later stage.”

The event is free of charge and includes refreshments and a light lunch. Spaces are limited so booking is essential. Those interested in attending are asked to contact ronan.o’donnell@derrystrabane.com.