The new World Heritage Officer assigned to protect the future of Saltaire will have more than just historic buildings to conserve.

Caroline Wilkinson, 27, (pictured) will also be kept busy maintaining the balance between tourism development and the needs of villagers.

Her role has been created by Bradford Council to ensure that Saltaire flourishes as a World Heritage Site.

Caroline, who previously worked in the Council's conservation team, will oversee the Management Plan for Saltaire, a strategy drawn up when the site was nominated to UNESCO for World Heri-tage Site status.

She will work with village organisations - including the Saltaire Project Team, Shipley College, Saltaire Village Society, Saltaire United Reformed Church and Salts Estates Ltd - and traders and residents, as well as national agencies like British Waterways and English Heritage.

Her three-year contract, part-funded by English Heritage, will involve ongoing public consultation and, over the coming months, a series of workshops will keep villagers updated.

She will also be working with the organisers of a two-week celebration in Saltaire, in September, marking 150 years of Salts Mill and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir Titus Salt, who founded the model village.

"The beauty of Saltaire is that it's a living, working environment. It's not a museum," said Caroline. "We need to strike a balance between ensuring that Saltaire flourishes as a tourist attraction and taking into account the needs of people living here.

"A Homeowners' Directory will be produced for each household in the village, providing information about the history of their property and its value to Saltaire.

"It's about having a sense of ownership - literally. These people own a piece of a World Heritage Site which is something unique to Saltaire and we want people to see the value in that."

She will co-ordinate projects outlined in the Management Plan, aimed at developing and improving Saltaire. They include restoration work on buildings, including roof repairs to Salts Mill; gathering archive material and making it accessible to Saltaire people; developing more green transport links; landscaping open spaces; and improving the canal area.

"There's so much here," said Caroline. "And visitors are fascinated by the fact that people actually live here, that's what sets us apart from other World Heritage Sites.

"When Saltaire got its status it was identified as something special. There are so few of these sites in Britain - we must cherish it."

The Council's heritage manager, Steve Bateman, said: "We can be proud of the fact that we've lost very little in Saltaire. There aren't many areas built in the 1850-1870 period where you can say that. The mill and the village are thriving as collective working units, there's something for everyone.

"Saltaire is the shop window to the whole Aire Valley, and ensuring that it thrives as a World Heritage Site will have a positive knock-on effect. It's a chain reaction and we have to keep the chains linked."

Bradford Council leader Councillor Margaret Eaton said: "As well as co-ordinating large-scale projects like regeneration of buildings, part of Caroline's work will be looking at the basic elements of tourism like where people will park and where they can find out more about the village. I look forward to the many projects coming to fruition."