A Conservation Management Plan or CMP identifies the place’s heritage significance, sets out conservation policies to protect the cultural heritage importance of the place in the light of change and gives a strategy for putting these policies into action. It is an effective tool that helps owners, managers and assessing authorities make sound decisions about conserving and managing heritage places.
A CMP will assist guide planning and expenditure when changes to a heritage spot are proposed. It can reduce delays when undertaking changes by ensuring that all heritage considerations and statutory obligations are addressed at an early stage. Good planning is a wise investment in every kind of property management.
A CMP will articulate the cultural heritage importance of a heritage place. It is embodied in the place itself, its fabric, setting, use, associations, meanings, records, related places and related objects. Places might have a range of values for different individuals and groups. After clarifying the cultural heritage importance of a heritage place, a CMP then defines the actions required to
protect that significance.
A Conservation Management Plan will give you with the required knowledge and tools to ensure that the importance of the place is not lost through change. Change in a heritage place is often necessary to ensure that it survives for our future generations. A CMP provides guidance in managing change in the heritage place without compromising the heritage importance of the place.
A CMP is a good property management tool because it promotes effective decisions through the conservation and maintenance schedules for the place. The content of a CMP largely reflects this process. The first part of a CMP will give you with information that enables you to comprehend the history and background of the place through historical documents. It will also record the changes to the place through time and provide a recording of the physical condition at the time the CMP is written. Through the analysis of the documentary and physical evidence, an assessment of the importance of the place is undertaken. Out of this analysis, a Statement of Significance and zones of significance are developed.
The second part of a CMP identifies opportunities and constraints that arise from the significance of the place and other factors such as planned future development and current physical condition. Policies are developed out of the identification of these problems.
The final part of a CMP is the preparation of an action plan that includes a schedule of conservation works and maintenance schedule. A CMP should also provide the most up to date information on protocols that required to be followed in regards to undertaking changes to the place.
A heritage professional with experience in preparing Conservation Management Plans will not only bring technical skills but also a network of other specialists. The specialist skill needed for a CMP depends on the nature of the place. When seeking the right person with the right background, it is best to first look at the major element of your heritage place.