Heritage Strategy for City of Culture Bid

Southampton is a medium-sized city in the South of England that is a regional centre for employment, retail, education and leisure, which became a city in 1964. It has a population of circa 254,000, over 1 million within a 45-mile catchment area, which pre-COVID-19 pandemic welcomed over 4 million visitors through the cruise terminal and airport annually.

The area is archaeologically significant, with evidence of early prehistoric settlements and occupation, and examples of buildings dating back to the Roman occupation, through to medieval timber-framed structures, medieval stone buildings, Georgian town houses, Victorian commercial buildings and the post-war reconstruction of the town. Using the National Planning Policy Framework's broad definition, a Heritage asset is: a building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest.

It includes designated heritage assets and assets identified by the local planning authority. Substantial parts of the tangible heritage assets of the city are both owned and managed by Southampton City Council, whilst others are in the ownership of private companies, independent trusts and community organisations.

We also use a wider definition to include museum collections, archival records and intangible heritage assets which are also part of the city's cultural ecology. This piece of work was planned prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but as the city looks to support the emerging economic and community recovery strategy as well as deliver on its UK City of Culture ambitions, the city's heritage is a critical part of this strategy.

Southampton is seeking to develop and support the recovery of our high streets and communities and develop a cultural destination, which also presents an opportunity to explore identity, belonging and representation in an ethnically diverse city that has significant challenges around health, wealth and education, which the pandemic has brought to the fore. Black Lives Matter has also highlighted the structural challenges facing many individuals and communities and representation in every sphere of contemporary society including history and the National Curriculum.

Against this backdrop, the partnership is looking to develop a Heritage Strategy that can guide discussions, set direction and identify needs for the sector as a whole over the next ten years and beyond. The aim is also to unlock the heritage and tourism potential of the city's diverse heritage assets, and position the city to obtain financial support to resource the heritage assets and raise the profile of Southampton as a cultural destination, particularly in light of the impact of COVID-19. To this end we are seeking to recruit a consultancy to progress this work and to ensure that the Heritage Strategy dovetails with wider strategic place-based initiatives and priorities across Southampton.