Red River Archaeology signs up to the Placemaking Wales Charter

By Dave Gilbert

Red River Archaeology Ltd is very proud to be a signatory of the Placemaking Wales Charter. Our expert, multi-disciplinary team based in Cardiff provide heritage planning and design consultation and advice spanning the whole of the built environment in Wales.

The Placemaking Wales Charter has been developed by Welsh Government and the Design Commission for Wales in collaboration with the Placemaking Wales Partnership and was launched on the 24th September 2020 by Julie James, Minister for Housing and Local Government. The Charter builds on the strengthening focus on Placemaking in policy and practice in Wales and aims to provide a common understanding of the range of considerations that go into placemaking.
 
The charter outlines six placemaking principles that cover the range of considerations in designing place that have key heritage factors and implications for developers. These inter linked principles include people and community, location, movement, identity, mixed use, and the public realm. Our work can have a significant positive influence on many of these factors.
 
Identity of place looks at the positive and unique qualities of existing places and the importance of highlighting these in the development. Every place is unique, and it is important to highlight this, showing the layers of history and the cultural heritage that differ from one location to another.
 
Location within an already established historic landscape should not be seen as an obstacle to development, correctly handled this can be a positive factor. Historically many areas were mixed-use and the ambition to move to a less car dependant society is an ambition that fit with more historic townscapes.
 
By considering the events and industries that have taken place there to create and develop places that give people a sense of identity and community for the people that live there. This feeds into the public realm principle which is about creating public spaces with a distinct identity, something that a shared heritage and history can deliver.