Heritage champion

What is a heritage champion?

A heritage champion is a local councillor who has been nominated to promote all aspects of the historic environment in the town.

The heritage champion will look at ways the historic environment can help the local council to achieve strategic goals and bring a better quality of life to the community.

They can make sure that local plans and strategies capture the contribution that the local historic environment can make.

Who is the town's heritage champion?

The heritage champion for Hastings is Councillor Ali Roark:

"Hastings is a town steeped in history - we are at the heart of 1066 Country and it is important that our town's built heritage is celebrated.

"I have a background in History and am fascinated by the idea of all the people who lived, loved and worked in our town in years and centuries gone by. I often think about the way that our town has changed over time: from the Norman conquest to the development of housing on what used to be farmland (as many of our town's distinct neighbourhoods trace their names back to long-forgotten farms) to the fascinating and unique legacy of the America Ground and the picturesque appeal of Old Hastings. Hastings really is a unique and special place to live.

"If there is anything you would like to bring to my attention as Heritage Champion, or indeed if there is anything you would like me to champion, please do get in touch."

What is the heritage champion responsible for?

The roles and responsibilities of the heritage champion include:

• championing the Hastings Heritage Strategy
• making the council aware of important historic environment issues and opportunities
• promoting the value of the historic environment as a enabler for regeneration and neighbourhood renewal
• promoting the potential the historic environment has for attracting economic investment and funding in certain areas
• raising the profile of the historic environment in planning documents such as the local plan
• working with key organisations outside the council to maximise the benefits the historic environment can have for the town, residents and visitors

Find out more

You can find out more about heritage champions on the Historic England website.

How you can get involved

If you have any ideas about how we can get more out of the town's historic environment for the benefit of the local community and visitors to the town, you can contact the heritage champion using the details below.

Contact the heritage champion

Correspondence address: 
Muriel Matters House
Breeds Place
Hastings
East Sussex
TN34 3UY

Phone:  01424 451066
Email:  cllr.ali.roark@hastings.gov.uk