Cadw’s latest Historic Environment Update 18 reports on the new Historic Environment (Wales) Bill, now introduced into the Senedd Cymru.
… one of the most substantial pieces of legislation ever considered by the Senedd…
Cadw writes:
Mick Antoniw MS, the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution, introduced the Historic Environment (Wales) Bill into the Senedd Cymru [on] 4 July 2022. At around 200 pages, this will be one of the most substantial pieces of legislation ever considered by the Senedd and it will transform the protection and management of Wales’ historic environment.
In an accompanying written statement, he explained that the Bill represents an important step in the Welsh Government’s plans to improve the accessibility of Welsh law set out in The future of Welsh law: A programme for 2021 to 2026. The Bill is the result of the first project in an ambitious programme of legislative consolidation.
Consolidation is one of the key methods for bringing order and clarity to the law of Wales. It involves gathering together all, or most, of the legislation on a specific subject, and modernising the form and drafting of the law. The result is a new fully bilingual Act restating the law for Wales so that everyone will find it easier to understand and apply.
As it stands, Wales’ historic environment legislation is a bewildering jumble of repeatedly amended provisions that even lawyers find confusing — a perfect subject for consolidation. It is, moreover, largely based on two Westminster statutes — the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 and the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 — that are now decades old, so the greater part of our historic environment legislation is only available in English.
If passed, the Historic Environment(Wales) Bill will replace the existing legislation and provide fully bilingual, orderly and accessible law for the effective protection and management of our unique historic environment so that it can continue to contribute to the well-being of Wales and its people.
The Counsel General will make a legislative statement in the Senedd this afternoon (5 July) and the Senedd’s Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee will give initial consideration to the Bill over the summer and autumn.
For full links to the Historic Environment (Wales) Bill and supporting documentation and further information on the background to the consolidation, visit the Historic Environment (Wales) Bill pages on the Cadw website.
