THIS week’s opinion column is being handed over to Buckinghamshire County Councillor Lesley Clarke OBE, who is giving her views on the heritage of the Wycombe area – and the importance of its past in creating the future.

AN hour may destroy what an age was building: an old saying but a wise warning for the way we treat our environment – and a good adage for developers planning the way our communities grow.

History is strewn with records of the shocking loss of heritage. Who knows, the house where William Shakespeare wrote The Tempest – and its mulberry tree – might still have been standing today were it not for the unmonitored destructive actions of its 18th century owner.

Today, planning legislation ensures propriety and moderation among those who develop our communities.

But it doesn’t always guarantee protection, especially of lesser known heritage that risks being inadvertently bulldozed into oblivion.

People frequently tell me how disappointed they are that in Buckinghamshire we have lost interesting examples of heritage.

If you’ve ever listened to old Wycombians reminiscing over their pints, it’s not long before the topic of the River Wye arises, and you’ll hear strong opinions expressed about the loss of its view in parts of the town where it has been covered over for half a century. And now we’re talking about uncovering it!

We have a strong heritage in the Wycombe area: a history and archaeology stretching back to Roman times, a thriving cloth, lace, timber and agricultural economy from the middle ages through Victorian times to the 20th century furniture industry.

And it’s this rich heritage we want planners and developers to take into account when they envision our future.

Thanks to invaluable investigative work by a Buckinghamshire County Council team over five years, led by project officer David Green, we now have some detailed research into our historic towns and communities, which will help our future-gazers.

Funded by English Heritage, the team have examined the history and archaeology of 30 significant Buckinghamshire settlements, and charted it in great detail in their From Markets To Metroland report.

Certainly it’s an aid to further learned historical research, but where its rubber hits the road is in its value as an influence to local planning policy.

It’s a compelling argument to developers to integrate our urban historical character into thinking and planning for the future, informing generations to come that they need to look after what previous generations have bequeathed.

Taking good note of this record of the past will enrich the shape of our future.

Former Bucks Free Press journalist and renowned author Terry Pratchett sums it up admirably: “If you do not know where you come from, then you don’t know where you are, and if you don’t know where you are, then you don’t know where you’re going. And if you don’t know where you’re going, you’re probably going wrong.”

View the report at: http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/media/1914822/historic-towns-report.pdf