Hadrians Wall Walk Organisation and Legal Implications for Organisers - Essay Example

'Hadrian's Wall Walk' Organisation and Legal Implications for Organisers Introduction This essay looks at the legal and management concerns around organizing walks at Hadrian's Wall. This is a World Heritage site, therefore there are rules and regulations to follow, in addition to the safety issues which will invariably exist, when organizing walks of this nature. There are also the very important Heritage items themselves, which need to be protected. Hadrian's Wall Management The World Heritage Organisation (an organisation who look after Hadrian's Wall and other heritage sites) have created a Management Plan (1), which needs to be put in place for organisations arranging walks on the Hadrian's Wall site. This consists of a Policy Framework, which was put in place as a result of a UNESCO requirement and the UK government. The policy sets out the management of the planning, conservation, access and marketing of the Hadrian's Wall site. Therefore, any organisation contemplating running a business by offering walks around Hadrian's Wall need to be aware of the rules and regulations set down by the World Heritage Organisation. This is in addition to the standard safety responsibilities and insurance obligations required to cover them for any accidents. There are also a number of legal obligations from a legal perspective, which are government specified. The World Heritage Site Organisation have a number of members, to form a "steering group" who have been selected to create and maintain the management plans, which are produced at regular intervals. The steering group consists of a cross-section of interested parties, who are diverse in their backgrounds and usually cover different areas. They are usually experts in their fields. The committee meet twice a year to resolve issues with the site and maintain the plans in existence. The committee members come from all walks of life and cover issues: Planning/protection Farm Land Management Access Conserve Transport Facilities Presentation Tourism The first management plan for Hadrian's Wall was created in 1996, and this covered the period up to 2001. The plan subsequent to that covered the periods 2002 - 2007 and the current plan is expected to cover the periods 2008 - 2012. The procedure for these plans is that a first round of interest groups discussions will take place. Then the steering group will meet again to formalise the planning documents, which are then published in the next period. This usually happens every 4 years or so. The World Heritage Site Organisation was created in 1972. The aim of the organisation back then was to protect Heritage via economic regeneration for social inclusion. They also realised that this would provide a number of responsibilities and opportunities. The aim was to preserve sites and keep them in good condition for future generations. It helps when managing such walks around the wall to have knowledge of the implications of tourism at heritage sites. Although there is a need for foreign income a guide needs to be aware that the local social structures are disturbed through tourism and whole communities can be affected by the number of visitors, who may have different cultures and social ethics. Heritage management tries to balance the need for interest and profit with the need to also conserve the existing environment. From this point of view heritage management is more complex than is assumed, albeit the bottom line is to preserve heritage for future generations to enjoy. Tourism sites such as Hadrian's Wall are seen as clean, environmentally friendly, places which also provide a good local source of income for permanent residents. They are seen as favourable against traditional industries and increase the quality of life. It is also seen that heritage sites usually reduce pollution and protect the environment. Human mobility is increasing, and it looks very much that tourism is here to stay. As countries develop, there people have more desire to travel and see new places. Tourism also offers a number of other benefits, such as new associations, visits and possibly new business to the local area. In managing Hadrian's Wall, it has to be considered that this site is not a museum or a historic recreation. It is real history, at a real place. It takes a great deal of planning, including a sound strategy for future development and maintenance of the site. Opportunities need to be considered, along with any potential threats to the site. There are inevitable conflicts of interest when managing a site such as this. It may be that the traditional style of management is not suitable, so a new style of management may be required (Boniface, 1995). The conflicts arising revolve around preserving the local urban culture, cross culture understanding, protecting assets, tourism development, culture, identity, new development and conservation. If not managed properly the advantages of the heritage site would be lost. There are also issues of heavy traffic, damage and local residents leaving the area because of the lack of a peaceful environment due to tourism. Most local people are usually irritated by tourists, unless of course you own a hotel and your business depends on it. One other advantage of tourism is that old buildings can be reused for tourists, and therefore they are revamped. This means less empty buildings and the overall look and feel of a heritage area is usually pleasant, compared to other areas which are not tourist dependant. Hadrian's Wall has several thousand visitors a year. This can lead to inevitable damage to the historic buildings, streets and other assets due to overcrowding. The heavy traffic is also another factor. The damage becomes worse with restoration schemes and when management use opportunism to gain fast profits. The problem is often so bad, that physical erosion is often measured and monitored as a result of tourist numbers. This can sometimes have a detrimental effect on the benefits for conservation. Management of World Heritage Sites such as Hadrian's Wall has been quoted thus: "Management is 'a process businesses undertake to achieve organisational performance' (Ivanceich et al. 1991 quoted in Murphy 1997:3). In the case of the urban environment it involves both an internal and an external environment, and a dynamic situation (Boniface 1995). Management of urban tourism becomes a simultaneous response to the needs of the visitor, the heritage and the heritage presenter; it is a combination of proactive design and planning measures which will reduce the pressure on resources and encourage a better appreciation of the environment for all concerned." (Orbal 2000, 161) In other words, management need to balance the needs of the local community, the tourists and the environment for all. One method used to limit the numbers is via the use of a tourist fee. It is not relevant to the wall but the museum entry fee, for example is an example of management practice in action. The price is 'pitched' to encourage the 'right' number of entrants, and to avoid overcrowding. Hadrian's Wall Legal Implications In addition to the rules and regulations of the World Heritage Organisation, there are the legal constraints imposed by the government, to protect historical buildings and items of interest. There are a few laws relating to this aspect. They concern the damage or stealing of goods and/or buildings deemed to have national value and heritage. For example, the "The Dealing in Cultural Objects (Offences) Act 2003" states that it is an offence to illegally remove items or for someone to have 'dealt; with a cultural object, with the knowledge or belief that it is "tainted". In this case the meaning of "tainted" is that it is effectively, in slang notation "hot", and has been extracted or removed by theft or by not returning to it's rightful owner if found. This also covers objects unlawfully excavated from any location to remove from a monument even if they have not formed a part of the building. Therefore this means that archaeological objects are protected. The points covered are: "(a) a person removes the object in a case falling within subsection (4) or he excavates the object,. (b) in the circumstances in which the object is removed or excavated an offence is committed by him." Other acts in force in relation to this are 'Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979'. International offences may not render and object as being tainted, and in this case the act does not identify provisions where the removal or excavation constitutes an offence. This act covers mainly physical damage to monuments and buildings. In conclusion, in order to manage walks at Hadrian's Wall you need to understand both the management perspective, preferably from the World Heritage point of view, local concerns, and the law as it stands. In this way your clients are made aware of the potential problems, and the rules and regulations of the visit. Bibliography Journals Boniface, Priscilla. 1995. Managing Quality Cultural Tourism. New York: Routledge. http://www.questia.com/PM.qsta=o&d=103127900. Orbal, Aylin. 2000. Tourists in Historic Towns: Urban Conservation and Heritage Management. London: E & FN Spon. http://www.questia.com/PM.qsta=o&d=102949941. Internet "MANAGING THE WORLD HERITAGE SITE." Hadrian's Wall Heritage Ltd Management | HW World Heritage Site | Official Website of Hadrian's Wall Country. 2007. 14/04/2008 . "Management Plan 2002-2007." Management | HW World Heritage Site | Official Website of Hadrian's Wall Country. . 2007. World Heritage Site Ltd. 14/04/2008 "Consultation Paper 2007." Management | HW World Heritage Site | Official Website of Hadrian's Wall Country. 2007. World Heritage Site Limited. 14/04/2008 Read More