Introduction
Launch Symposium, 28 January 2008
Welcome by Peter Goodship
Chief Executive, Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust
and
Chairman of Steering Group
Lord Lieutenant, Second Sea Lord, Ladies and Gentlemen
May I first extend to you a very warm welcome to Boathouse 6; I hope that you feel that this is an appropriate venue for this occasion, planned of course to coincide with our good news for the Mary Rose - although I would like to stress that it would have been just as appropriate to have held this on the Isle of Wight, Fareham, Gosport or Winchester, such is the scale of the project.
You have all been invited here this morning to hear more about what we all believe is a most exciting prospect - to inscribe Portsmouth Harbour, Isle of Wight and Spithead as a World Heritage site. It would represent the world's first cultural seascape to be inscribed on the World Heritage List.
You have all been very carefully selected: not just because you are important influential people but because you all have the potential to make this ambition a reality and we need you - because without universal stakeholder support, we simply cannot get off the ground.
We shall be hearing from speakers who will tell us why we have such an overwhelming case for inscription; why we should be wanting to become a World Heritage Site; whether there is a downside and we shall also be learning, first hand, the process of becoming a World Heritage site and what it can mean.
There will be an opportunity for you to ask questions; we shall do our best to answer them. There may be some we cannot answer and I shall not apologise for that because we are at the very beginning of a journey and we still have much to learn about the process. And, importantly, we do not yet know how the new DCMS guidelines which were to be published last Autumn may impact on our ideas. What we do know is that the DCMS wish to review the current waiting list, remove those who have been on it for many years and made no progress and admit new applicants who have a real chance of success. We wish to be one of those new boys.
I would like to say one thing at the outset: an obvious question is would World Heritage Status frustrate economic progress and just become another layer of bureaucracy or indeed impede the way in which the Royal Navy, for instance, operates within the Harbour. I can say that if for a moment we believed any of those things to be true then we would not be here today. All the research we have undertaken suggests that the reverse is true; it positively encourages inward investment, is good for tourism and unlocks grants and yes it may demand that new design is appropriate and of good quality - but I believe we can all sign up to that.
We hope to complete proceedings by 12.45 sharp and you will be very welcome to stay for a bite to eat which will be served just outside the auditorium.
To help us keep to time and to help keep you all under control I would like to introduce you to Freddie Rostand who has kindly agreed to act as our master of ceremonies.
Many of you will know Freddie who has been reporting on this region for the BBC for several years. Probably more than most of us Freddie is in close touch with all sectors of our local community I am pleased to say that he has become an enthusiastic supporter of the idea. Over to you Freddie .....
Photo
Gunwharf Quays, The Hard, and Portsmouth Naval Base. Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust