York Unplanned: Reflections on a Changing City in the 21st Century

Part of the York Georgian Society 2024/2025 Autumn Lecture Series.

York is well known for its pioneering approach to conservation and heritage led regeneration. From Esher to the UK World Heritage Tentative List, conservation of its past has long dominated its planning agenda. But how successful has it been in retaining what makes the city special? The past 25 years has seen considerable developments in York and as Principal Inspector of Ancient Monuments at Historic England for over 18 years, Neil was directly involved in many development cases. Having also grown up in the city in the 1980s and 1990s, York is a place he has always known as home and a place where he has witnessed considerable changes over the years. But what do these changes look like in the context of the 2000 years of York’s story, and what have we learnt about our city in this time?

About the speaker: Neil Redfern has been the Executive Director of The Council for British Archaeology since 2020. The CBA is the leading independent charity promoting archaeology and the public participation in archaeology in the UK. He has over 25 years’ experience of cultural heritage management, archaeological fieldwork, survey and assessment, and museum practice. He is particularly interested in the practical and philosophical approaches to how we value heritage and the challenges faced in enhancing participation, securing the conservation and enhancement of heritage places. Previous to the CBA he worked for Historic England/English Heritage in York for eighteen years, as Principal Inspector of Ancient Monuments for Yorkshire. He was responsible for delivering statutory advice on planning, listed building and scheduled monument consent applications in the region. He has an M. Phil in Archaeological Heritage Management and Museums (University of Cambridge), and a BA (Hons) in Geography and Archaeology (University of Manchester).

All York Georgian Society lectures take place on a Saturday afternoon in the Medical Society Rooms in Stonegate, starting at 2.30pm, followed by tea. They are free for members of the Society. They are also free for students at the university; we suggest that other non-members make a voluntary donation of £5 to attend any given lecture.