ABSTRACT
We have heard much in the past few years about the need for ‘sustainable development’. The common definition of this concept is ‘to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’1 It is a concept that is easier to endorse than to interpret and implement. But it informs much of current planning thought and activity. ‘Conservation’ in the sense in which it is used in this study has obvious relevance to this objective since by definition it conserves existing built assets and can facilitate their adaptation to new uses. Back in 1975 SAVE made the point: ‘The fight to save particular buildings or groups of buildings is not the fancy of some impractical antiquarian. It is part of a battle for the sane use of all our resources.’2 The current concern for sustainability gives a new validity to conservation policy.
