Feb 08 – Heritage Trust Cautiously Welcomes Gatehouse News
The Heritage Trust has said that, although it is pleased with the joint Government of Gibraltar and MOD announcement that an agreement has been reached regarding the future of the Dockyard Gatehouse, it is “minded to err on the side of caution.”
A statement continued: “The decision to ‘sympathetically dismantle’ the building, with a commitment to rebuilding it on an alternative site, is not the preferred outcome for any construction of heritage significance as it erases the authenticity of the building both in its fabric and construction and removes it from its historical context. This is the position the Trust has taken in the various fora when this building has been discussed. The various alternative on-site uses for the building proposed by the Heritage Trust were rejected outright.
“We acknowledge that the agreement, and source of funding, reached has been the result of lengthy negotiations and nevertheless promises to ensure a new lease of life for the building. However, there must be a location agreed before dismantlement begins and a timeline fixed for its re-erection as well as the method statement and technical plans for the process announced in the Press Release.
“Unfortunately Gibraltar has a very poor track record when it comes to promises to rebuild historic monuments or features – the Dockyard Chimney comes to mind. We trust that the successful relocation of the Dockyard Gatehouse will mark the beginning of a new era of heritage protection for Gibraltar. Although the relocation of the building may have to be accepted in this case, the Gibraltar Heritage Trust does not support carte blanche the demolition, and or relocation, of buildings simply because it is considered that they are no longer of use.”
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