A ‘negative discourse’ around the island’s built heritage is perpetuated by the government and some politicians, a report has said.

The Tynwald Committee on Built Heritage has published its interim report, due to go to Tynwald next month.

The committee had been expected to publish its full report by the end of 2022, but it says it received such a large amount of evidence, it isn’t ready yet, but does hope it will be ready by the first quarter of 2023.

In its interim report, the committee said: ‘There is a negative discourse around the island’s built heritage, particularly the system of registering buildings, which has regrettably been perpetuated by government and some politicians.

‘Some aspects of planning policy and legislation are inconsistent with the aim of preserving, repurposing, and enhancing our built heritage. There is also evidence that planning policy is being applied inconsistently.

‘The cessation of the Historic Buildings Conservation Scheme marked an unfortunate turning point; the removal of this scheme does not support the goal of preserving and enhancing the island’s built heritage.

‘There are opportunities for our built heritage to play a key role in supporting wider Government policy, including not only our UNESCO Biosphere status, but also the Climate Change Plan, the Economic Strategy, and the Built Environment Reform Programme.’

Among the documents it has published is 31 written submissions from a variety of government departments, history groups, societies, churches and the historian Charles Guard.