We greatly appreciate letters of support from other organisations who value our work protecting parks and gardens.
Thank you to everyone who has written statements to express their support. Your letters are invaluable in helping us to make the case for our important work, including our role as a statutory consultee. Full copies of each of the letters can be downloaded below.
Historic Buildings & Places – “The Gardens Trust provides invaluable expertise that support the conservation of heritage landscapes and historic cultural venues and their work enhances our towns and cities, helping to create thriving, vibrant communities that benefit people across the country.”
Historic Houses – “Removing the Gardens Trust as a statutory consultee is not going to achieve the economic growth government is looking for, but it might just do irreparable damage to much-loved, world-famous historic gardens and landscapes.”
Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) – “Removing [the Gardens Trust] from the list of statutory consultees will do nothing to ‘promote growth and unblock building’ but it is likely to accelerate the loss of or harm to irreplaceable heritage assets.”
National Federation of Parks and Gardens – “We recognize the invaluable contribution made by the Trust consulting and then coordinating responses, and ensuring a vast range of community expertise and site user knowledge can help inform a robust planning process.”
The Parks Agency – “[The Gardens Trust] has perfomed a vital service in providing free expert advice and soundly researched information to planning authorities on historic parks and gardens in the planning system; all the more vital because there is rarely any in-house expertise on this topic of great heritage importance.”
Parks for London – “As an infrastructure organisation supporting those who own, manage, and maintain parks and green spaces across Greater London we know the critical role the Gardens Trust play in advising the planning system. Their informed specialist advice bridges gaps in the majority of planning authorities, in particular where there are shortages in staff capacity and expertise in this area.”
Parks Management Association – “One of the most important organisations within this sector is The Gardens Trust… Their work is always constructive, pragmatic and timely and cost efficient and incredibly important.”
Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) – “This decision risks diminishing the protection of some of the country’s most valued landscapes at a time when the importance of green spaces for wellbeing, biodiversity and climate resilience has never been clearer.”
World Heritage UK – “As a consultee The Gardens Trust has continued to provide a vital and balanced service to Government and Local Authorities in evaluating comprehensively planning applications which affect parks and gardens on the national Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.”
We warmly welcome further letters of support from individuals or organisations who value our important work. Click here to find out how you can help us fight to protect parks and gardens.
