Various specialist bodies have been established over the years in order to help deal with the huge problem of industrial wastelands. While at the outset their programmes were essentially technical in nature (dispelling the historic image of the basin, a “return to point zero”), they gradually began to take into consideration the cultural values inherent in mining heritage.

I n addition to the general initiatives launched by the State (DRAC¹ and ABF²: protection under the category of Historic Monuments), specific management, protection and regeneration programmes have been in place for twenty years. The management of the consequences of the end of mining led to the setting up of institutional and operational bodies: GIRZOM³, EPF⁴ (regional regeneration projects in mining areas) and Maisons et Cités (principal administrators and lessors of mining dwellings). In 1997, the Conférence Permanente du Bassin Minier gathered together a range of actors to tackle regional issues affecting the Coalfield. This conference led to the creation in 2000 of a new operational body, the Mission Bassin Minier, facilitated in the framework of the State-Region Project Contract 2000-2006, and which contributes to the urban, social, environmental and economic renewal of the Coalfield.

For many years, various associations have been working towards the development of mining heritage, such as the Centre Historique Minier Nord-Pas de Calais in Lewarde, Chaîne des Terrils, Culture Commune (National Theatre: mining memories and artistic creation) and the Scarpe-Escaut Regional Natural Park.

The local authorities (the Nord-Pas de Calais Regional Council, the Nord and Pas-de-Calais Départements, Communautés d’Agglomération et de Communes⁵, the Association of Mining Communes) and tourism bodies (CRT⁶, CDT⁷, Tourist Offices, etc.) also provide solid support for mining heritage. Each of these bodies has competences for and an operational influence on the various elements which make up the cultural landscape of the Coalfield. A number of projects have been undertaken to preserve this heritage and integrate it into the present living environment.