Welcome to the latest edition of the HELM newsletter. We are delighted to present this quarterly newsletter for your interest.

Your next update will be July 2011.

Industrial Heritage at Risk

English Heritage is embarking on research which will reveal how much of our industrial heritage is at risk of neglect, decay or even demolition. We will be revealing the results of this research at our annual Heritage at Risk launch in October.

We will also be finding out what the public think about industrial heritage and proposing ways in which the best of our unique industrial past can be saved for future generations to learn from, value and enjoy.

What Matters to You?

You can get involved now by posting photographs and comments on the we are running in conjunction with the Council for British Archaeology and the Association for Industrial Archaeology.

What is Industrial Heritage?

Textile mills, coal mines, quarries, metal industries, glassworks, potteries, chemical production sites, food and drink factories, gas works, sites which produced electricity and water, sewage works, roads, bridges, canals, railways, ports, docks and harbours - these are the sorts of buildings we are focusing on in our research, visible reminders of the Industrial Revolution, that great era spanning from 1750 to the First World War when Britain led the world.

What's Happening to our Industrial Heritage

Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: "This period of British history shaped our place in the world, it shaped the lives of our forebears and laid the foundations of the modern age. Today the places where we live and work still look largely the way they do because of the industry that went on in them."

"But much of this heritage is now at risk and the current economic climate isn't helping. Owners are finding it hard to look after their buildings as well as their businesses. Developers are cautious about taking on vacant industrial buildings and public bodies and regeneration agencies are less able to support schemes for re-use. There are no easy answers but we're determined to see what can be done to help. Our industrial past is too important to ignore."

Next steps

English Heritage aims to get owners, developers, local people, voluntary bodies, academics, professionals and politicians debating the future of our industrial heritage before it is too late.

Contact Us

If you would like to contact us, please email us at:

Historic Environment: Local Authority Capacity (HELAC)

Reductions to budgets mean that nearly everything local government does is being re-evaluated and historic environment services, which are non-statutory and have often evolved to meet the needs of the local community, are not exempt.

To respond to this key stakeholders have got together to try and support authorities as they make these difficult decisions, to explore how to retain a focus on strategic heritage outcomes, reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and process and pool resources across public bodies and engage civic societies more effectively. For more information please see the HELAC page on the HELM website.

Consultation launched for Good Practice Guide for Local Listing

We are now asking for your comments on our draft guidance for the identification of significant local heritage assets, and the management of these assets through a local list.

About the Good Practice Guide

Local listing supports the policies and guidance provided by Planning Policy Statement 5: Planning for the Historic Environment and its supporting Historic Environment Planning Practice Guide in relation to the contribution of non-designated heritage assets to the character of the historic environment.
The guide is intended to encourage a transparent and consistent approach to the process of creating and managing a local list by:

• strengthening the role of locally listed heritage assets as material considerations in deciding the outcome of planning decisions
• renewing the role of local listing as a means of encouraging communities to identify and manage aspects of their local heritage
• improving access to clear and comprehensive information about locally listed heritage assets, including via Historic Environment Records (HER)

You will notice that the Guide makes reference to case studies, these will be included in the final version of the Guide, to be published later in the year.

How to Respond

The consultation document includes detailed instructions on how to respond. When submitting your views, please use the consultation response form and send this to . The closing date for responses is 13th May 2011.

Recent publications include:

Part L of the Building Regulations seeks to improve the energy efficiency of all buildings. For existing buildings, including historic buildings and those of traditional construction, this means reducing heat losses wherever possible without damaging their special character or compromising their performance.

New interim guidance was produced to coincide with the revisions to Part L of the Buildings Regulations that came into effect on 1 October 2010. It will be published in early 2011 in a fully illustrated form. It is supported by the following documents:

• Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Open fires, chimneys and flues
• Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Insulating pitched roofs at ceiling level - cold roofs
• Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Draught-proofing windows anddoors
• Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Early cavity walls
• Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Insulating dormer windows
• Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Insulating flat roofs
• Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Insulating solid ground floors
• Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Insulating solid walls
• Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Insulating thatched roofs
• Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Insulation of suspended timber floors
• Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Secondary glazing for windows
• Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Insulating timber-framed walls
• Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings: Insulating pitched roofs at rafter level - warm roofs

Paradise Preserved: Updated list of cemeteries included in English Heritage’s Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest (January 2011) and the register criteria

Since the publication of Paradise Preserved in 2007, English Heritage has reviewed the grades of the registered cemeteries and also added several more cemeteries to the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England. An updated list of registered cemeteries and the registration criteria is provided in this leaflet.

Download Paradise Preserved: Updated list of cemeteries included in English Heritage’s Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest (January 2011) and the register criteria.

Paradise Preserved: Registered cemeteries in date order with notes on principal reasons for designation and designers and architects

The leaflet is published as a supplement to English Heritage’s Paradise Preserved. An introduction to the assessment, evaluation, conservation and management of historic cemeteries published in 2007 and the updated list of registered cemeteries and register criteria (2011).

Download Paradise Preserved: Registered cemeteries in date order with notes on principal reasons for designation and designers and architect.

HELM Training

The HELM programme for 2011 starts in April with two courses “Pillars of the Community: Transfer of Heritage Assets” on 6th April and 12th May in Ipswich and Elsecar respectively, covering the process of developing transfer strategies and managing transfers of heritage assets. This year’s programme covers a lot of new topics including the Setting of Heritage Assets, Archaeology’s Place in Planning and Legal Solutions for Historic Buildings at Risk. Delegate numbers are limited so please check the HELM website and book early to avoid missing out.

For further information on any of these courses please contact Sam Channer on , or .

Contact details

If you have any queries relating to this newsletter please email or phone Timothy Brooks on . If you wish to unsubscribe, please use the unsubscribe link.