Looks at the role Britain's historic building environment has to play in the modern approach to regeneration and suggests that changes are needed to the way that old buildings are simultaneously conserved and used effectively. Discusses the key findings of the House of Commons ODPM select committee report "The role of historic buildings in urban regeneration", which argues that the regeneration of old buildings has a central role in the wider revival of depressed areas and demonstrates the feasibility of integrating the protection of historic buildings with the planning system, which would require the transfer of responsibility from the DCMS to the ODPM. Refers to the English Heritage' conservation area partnership scheme and cites the example of Newcastle's Grainger Town as a successful heritage-led regeneration project. View the ODPM select committee report at www.publications.parliament.uk.