Outline Chronology of The Civic Trust
1957 – 1993
1957
• Launched at Lambeth Palace
• Organised largest international exhibition of landscape architecture plus free service to anyone wanting to start new society
1958
• Annual Civic Trust Awards Scheme launched
• Volunteer work camps started to clear National Park eyesores
1959
• Successfully opposes plans for meretricious redevelopment of Piccadilly Circus
• First ‘street improvement scheme’ Norwich First National Conference for local amenity societies
1960
• Second street improvement scheme – Burslem
• Conference on Rebuilding City centres. Membership 300 societies
1961
• Her Majesty The Queen opens third street improvement Scheme
• Campaign for ‘instant’ landscaping for bleak urban areas using semi-mature trees
• Launch of North West Civic Trust
1962
• ‘New Face for Britain’ a film about street improvement goes on general release
• Conference in Salisbury on historic towns
1963
• Conference on industrialised (system) building. Pilot programme on instant landscaping
• Is founding member of Europa Nostra (European federation of non-statutory conservation organisations)
1964
• Formulates plans for UK’s first regional park in Lea Valley, NE London
• Report ‘Derelict Land’ prompts government to take remedial action
• Civic Trust for Wales launched and 500 societies now registered
1965
• Defeats damaging and grandiose Government plans for redevelopment of Whitehall/Westminster area
• North East Civic Trust launched and ‘The Challenge of Leisure’ published, which highlights need for increased leisure facilities
1966
• National conference titled ‘Trees in Towns’
1967
• Prime Minister speaks at Trusts 10th Anniversary dinner
• Drafted Civic Amenities Act, which becomes law. This enables local authorities to designate conservation areas for protection, of which there
were 6000 in 1989 in the UK, and government grants are now available to assist with restoration and enhancement,
• CT publishes ‘Conservation Areas’
• Scottish CT launched, Heritage Outlook (later to become Urban Focus) launched, Society membership now 600
1968
• National Conference of amenity societies in York
• ‘Mark 2’ of street improvement scheme in Hemel Hempstead
1969
• Anglo-American conference on public participation
• Exhibition of local societies work at Harrods
1970
• National conference on derelict land, and first ever study of damage done by heavy lorries published which prompts calls for reform, and
subsequent government action
• 1971
• London – National conference on Conservation, a film is released on urban conservation, also a report is published requesting the setting up of the A. H. F.
• Helps to defeat un-idiomatic and damaging plans for redevelopment of Covent Gardens
1972
• Asked by government to run the UK contribution to European
• Architectural Heritage Year. Other countries entries, bar Switzerland, were organised by their respective governments which did not work very
well!
• Pride of Place is published, manual on townscape care, later translated into Japanese and other languages
1973
• As suggested by CT, government introduces Conservation Grants
1974
• CT drafts Town and Counties Amenities Act which is passed as law
• Is founding member of European Environmental Bureau
1975
• European Architectural Heritage Year. Main objectives are:
• CT Education Groups – to promote education in schools
• Heritage Centres – highlighting importance of towns and cities
• Two Heritage Centres opened in York and Chester
1976
• Architectural Heritage Fund formed, and has been a constant success
• ‘The Local Amenity Movement’ – study of societies is published
1977
• Scandal of urban wasteland highlighted in report
• Government promoted to start a register of such land
• Education group launches Wide Awake Trail for the young
1978
• First Urban Regeneration scheme in Wirksworth
• Launches Heritage Interpretation Programme for societies
1979
• ‘Understanding Our Surroundings’ is published
• Advises government on environmental impact of heavy lorries
• National Conference for members of conservation advisory committee
1980
• Pride of Place launched. Competition on improvement schemes for local societies
1982
• National society conference in York
1983
• Bypasses and Juggernaut is published, highlighting the need to remove heavy lorry traffic from town and city centres
• Europa Nostra Award for regeneration work in Wirksworth
1984
• Regeneration scheme started in Calderdale, (including Halifax)
• First national conference on Heritage Centres
1985
• First national environment week
1986
• Advises Isle of Man government on Tynwald meeting place. (oldest surviving legislature in the world)
1987
• Regeneration unit formed. First ‘Building a Better Britain’ exhibition in London
1988
• Education unit launches ‘ Shaping Place’
• New report on ‘Urban Wasteland’ and launch of UK 2000 i.e.
• Partnership of 6 voluntary groups
1989
• Approx 1,000 societies registered with Trust. National congress in Oxford, and second ‘Building a Better Britain’ exhibition
• New scheme launched for personal membership, HRH Prince of Wales becomes first member
• Conference on ‘Creating the Living Town Centre’
1990
• UK Audit Review of the Environment with local societies
• BT community pride awards launched, and Regeneration campaign set up with target (now achieved) of 100 projects throughout the country.
• Development trusts now have their own association.
• Publication: - Lorries in the Community
• About the Urban Environment for GCSE students
• UK Audit of the Environment published – safety in town centres
• Publications of new forms of community partnerships
1991
• Video of Regeneration: Produced by the RU dept about their projects around the country
• Bridging the Regeneration Gap conference. Is a landmark event for community
• Regeneration is your Business presented by HRH Prince of Wales. The previous day Michael Heseltine launched City Challenge, a new
programme to enhance the effectiveness of government expenditure in urban areas
1992
• Inner City Regeneration is launched, a practical advice resource for local groups to regenerate economic activity
• ‘England NW a strategic vision for a European Region published’
• Regeneration Unit joins forces with URBED & comedia to launch Heart of Urban Initiative at third Building a Better Britain, which focused mainly
on plight of town centres
• Prince of Wales launches the Seaside Regeneration Campaign highlighting work in Ilfracombe and pleading for similar towns which manage to
slip through the funding net
• Grand Met Inner City Action Scheme is launched by the CTRU to aid local groups. Funding from the DOE and GM enable CT to give free
consultancy advice to needy groups
1993
• Friends of The Civic Trust scheme launched, and also the Campaign for Liveable Places which is sponsored by Grand Met
• Winning Partnerships, a new training course for urban regeneration is launched by Secretary of State, Michael Howard. The course is designed
to fill an important gap in training needs of the regeneration field
• Centre Vision, a programme for town centres launched by CTRU and sponsored by Boots the Chemist. An important step in retailer’s
commitment to the future of our high streets
• Among other projects are 1993 Environment Week Awards - £50.00 in total is awarded to voluntary groups. Local Projects Grants fund, CT is
given £35,000 from DOE.
• Turning The Tide is published, detailing regeneration of seaside town
To date
15 years on since 1993, the Civic Trust continues to be a powerful, definitive and
distinctive voice which helps communities to imagine, shape and deliver inspiring places and an enduring future.
We continue work to with our members and partners, across our programmes and campaigns, to create better places in which people can live and work. For a more recent and up to date news on the Civic Trust’s work since 1993, please see our separate programmes and policy and consultation sections on this website. Alternatively, click here to see our current Annual Review.
