A commitment to sustainability means making the most of all our resources, including our heritage, for the benefit of present and future generations.  As part of this commitment, we want to make sure that regeneration is informed by heritage and a sense of place so that historic buildings can have a sustainable future.  

Sustaining the historic character of places is an asset in regeneration, bringing social, economic and environmental benefits.  We can put an understanding of historic character to work in creating sustainable and distinctive places for the future, not only in the way we care for our historic buildings, but also in the way we care for our towns and landscapes. Gaining a shared understanding of significance and value is a vital starting point for the sustainable management of change.  One area where Cadw has been focussing attention is on understanding urban character, to help to realise the full value of heritage as an asset in all our towns.

We are also working to sustain our historic buildings by promoting conservation and traditional building skills, encouraging maintenance, and use or re–use.  By highlighting examples of good practice, Cadw also seeks to demonstrate that historic buildings need not be excluded from actions to help secure a more sustainable future (such as energy efficiency measures and micro-generation), but that this should be achieved through careful design and sympathetic management.