This document offers ideas for local authorities, councils and communities on the practical uses of historic characterisation within local and neighbourhood planning.

Farmsteads and buildings are as important to the character of the countryside as the pattern of fields and boundaries associated with them. Together they help to create local identity and sense of place. Traditional farm buildings provide tangible evidence of local history and forgotten skills. Retaining such buildings matters because their history tells us of past practices, technology, innovation and achievements.

The significance of a heritage asset derives not only from its physical presence and historic fabric but also from its setting – the surroundings in which it is experienced. The careful management of change within the surroundings of heritage assets therefore makes an important contribution to the quality of the places in which we live.

Historic buildings matter. As well as connecting us to our shared past they add character to our villages, streets, towns and cities. On the whole they are well-cared for by their owners and continue to provide us with places to live, work, learn, visit and enjoyourselves. They add uniqueness, character and a sense of place to our lives.

Historic buildings are an irreplaceable part of our heritage.When they are left vacant, they are at a greatly increased risk of damage and decay, and can easily blight the appearance of their localities. The best way to protect a building is to keep it occupied, even if the use is on a temporary or partial basis.

Wider economic circumstances and reducing public sector budgets clearly have implications for capital investment in school buildings. Together with the recommendations from the James review, this background is likely to mean that over the short to medium term future local education authorities will need to focus on managing their existing school estate to ensure it offers the best possible educational environment.

This guidance note sets out English Heritage’s response to the epidemic of lead theft which is affecting historic buildings and, in particular, parish churches. We recognise that any theft brings frustration, expense and inconvenience to congregations. Preventing future thefts is paramount, but dealing with the unfortunate aftermath in an appropriate way is also very important.

This document provides guidance for good practice in environmental archaeology It gives practical advice on the applications and methods of environmental archaeology within archaeological projects It should not replace advice given by specialists on specific projects, nor is it intended that these guidelines should inhibit future development of methodologies or recommended procedures.

Shared Statements of Ambition for the historic environment set out a strategy for realising the benefits of heritage in each local authority area in the East Midlands.

Seeing the History in the View was published by English Heritage in PDF form on 31st May. This new guidance is designed to assess the heritage significance of views, in a systematic and consistent way however these views have come into being. The guidance sets out English Heritage's own approach to views assessment and is recommended to planning authorities and other interested parties. Any comments can be sent to historyinviews@english-heritage.org.uk.

The installation of solar electric (photovoltaic) panels or 'solar slates' on an historic place of worship may have an impact on the significance of the building and its setting. To help local authorities and denominational decision-making bodies dealing with such proposals, English Heritage has published a guidance note setting out the policy context provided by government guidance and giving advice on how to assess a proposal with a view to minimising harm to the significance of an historic place of worship.

This guidance provides technical advice to help prevent conflicts between the energy efficiency requirements in Part L of the Building Regulations and the conservation of historic and traditionally constructed buildings. This new guidance has been produced to coincide with the revisions to Part L of the Buildings Regulations that came into effect on 1 October 2010.

In the last few years a growing body of research has made it clear that trees are a cost-effective way of bringing a wide range of benefits to the environment, to individual people and to society as a whole.

This consultation document is based on Guidance on conservation area appraisals (English Heritage 2005) and Guidance on the management of conservation areas (English Heritage 2005) which were published as separate consultation documents. The principles of the approach were widely accepted and these documents have been used and referenced frequently in planning policy, development management and appeal decisions since their publication. This new document takes these principles and updates them after the issue of PPS5 Planning for the Historic Environment and its Practice Guide. We would welcome any comments on it until July 2011, please send them to planning.policy@english-heritage.org.uk.

This advice note deals with the incorporation of local heritage within plans that rural communities are producing, reviewing or updating and focuses particularly on parish plans and village design statements. English Heritage hopes this advice will ensure that Community-Led Plans harness the full power of the community’s heritage.With only limited resources available for protecting and revitalising this heritage, local action is now required more than ever.

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.

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).

Conservation areas are in the vanguard of heritage protection. Designated by local authorities, they reflect the value placed by communities on cherished neighbourhoods, villages and town centres, giving them a key role in the regeneration of local areas. This recognition of local distinctiveness is enshrined in legislation. It is not a device for preventing change or new development. Every conservation area contains places which have changed. Often these changes are features of the character which we wish to protect; often, too, further changes have to be accommodated if we are to ensure such places have a viable and beneficial future.

Almost every Local Education Authority in England will have school buildings that can be described as historic; these could be listed, situated within a conservation area or simply well regarded by their local community. When considering the options for renewal of assets, it is generally not feasible to move a school to new facilities built on an alternative site and sell off the existing building for alternative development due to the constraints of Authority land ownership.

Places of worship are amongst the most challenging buildings to adapt happily to new use. This guidance on the conversion of historic former places of worship is primarily aimed at new owners or potential purchasers of such buildings. It will also provide clarity for local authorities on the approach taken by English Heritage when advising on proposals for re-use. It complements the earlier document Options for the Disposal of Redundant Churches and Other Places of Worship.

This guidance note provides advice on how unused or intermittently used chimneys can be made more energy efficient by preventing draughts. Open chimneys and flues can be sources of useful ventilation but they can often let too much warm air out and cold air in. The resultant draughts can create uncomfortable conditions.

This guidance note provides advice on the principles, risks, materials and methods for insulating pitched roofs at ceiling level. When insulation is placed at this position the roof is often referred to as a ‘cold roof’.

This guidance note provides advice on the principles, risks, materials and methods for improving the thermal performance of existing windows and doors by draught-proofing.

This guidance note provides advice on the principles, risks, materials and methods for improving the thermal performance of buildings built with early forms of masonry cavity walls dating from before the Second World War.

This guidance note provides advice on the principles, risks, materials and methods for insulating dormer windows. Dormers come in a large variety of shapes, sizes and materials and can be a difficult area to insulate, but if insulation is left out or is poorly detailed then the energy efficiency of the whole roof can be compromised.

This guidance note provides advice on the principles, risks, materials and methods for improving the thermal performance of flat roofs by the addition or upgrading of insulation. Adding insulation to flat roofs can lead to a significant reduction in heat loss but thought and care is needed to make sure this is effective and does not cause problems.

This guidance note provides advice on the methods, materials and risks involved with insulating solid ground floors. The energy saving resulting from insulating solid ground floors can in many cases be of marginal benefit when the cost and disruption to the building fabric are considered. Insulating other building elements is likely to produce greater benefits in energy efficiency for significantly less cost.

This guidance note provides advice on the principles, risks, materials and methods for insulating solid masonry walls. The insulation of early forms of cavity construction (mid19th century onwards) is covered by a separate guidance note.

This guidance note provides advice on improving the energy efficiency of thatched roofs. The guidance stresses that changes to improve the energy performance of thatched roofs should only be attempted where necessary and where the traditional ‘breathable’ performance of the building will not be compromised.

This guidance note provides advice on the methods, materials and risks involved with insulating suspended timber ground floors. The applications described are also appropriate for timber upper floors where there is an unheated space below, for example, above a passageway or garage.

This guidance note provides advice on the principles, risks, materials and methods for upgrading the thermal performance of windows by the addition of secondary glazing.

This guidance note provides advice on the methods, materials and risks involved with insulating the walls of timber framed buildings. The benefits of making improvements will include improved comfort for occupants as well as lower fuel bills and carbon emissions. However, such improvements can have conservation and planning implications.

This guidance note provides advice on the principles, risks, materials and methods for insulating pitched roofs at rafter level. When insulation is placed at this position the roof is often referred to as a ‘warm roof’.

London’s historic environment is a precious, but fragile inheritance. In 1991, in response to rising public concern that so many historic buildings were threatened by redundancy, neglect and dilapidation, English Heritage published its first Register of Buildings at Risk in Greater London. Almost 1,000 listed buildings were identified as being at risk. 20 years later, 94% of all the buildings on that first register have been repaired, restored and brought back into use.

The August 2010 report shows that historic environment staffing provision in local authorities has continued to decline since the last report in July 2009. In the 15 months between the 2008 surveys undertaken by ALGAO and IHBC and the equivalent surveys in 2010 the numbers of staff who deal with archaeology has fallen by 4%, and those who deal with building and area conservation by 6.9%, giving a combined reduction for all local authority historic environment staff of 5.9%. The numbers of historic environment staff, however, are still slightly higher than in 2003 when broadly equivalent figures were first collected.

Investing in the historic environment brings real economic benefits to local places. On average £1 of investment in the historic environment generates an additional £1.60 in the local economy over a ten year period and half of all jobs created by heritage tourism are in the wider economy that supports and supplies our heritage attractions.

This note outlines the new procedures for applying for scheduled monument clearance and the new administrative arrangements between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and English Heritage which came into effect on 2 November 2009.

The Government is encouraging community-based organisations and volunteers to play an increasing role in improving their local areas, as part of their vision for the ‘Big Society’. One aspect of this is the transfer of land and buildings from local authorities to community-based organisations. Some of these transfers involve heritage assets – historic buildings, monuments, places or landscapes which are historically significant and are valued by the community.

Events in historic places make a vital contribution to the economic sustainability of our heritage. They add to the enjoyment of countless visitors at a huge range of sites, from urban squares to open countryside, as well as generating an important source of income. However, the temporary structures needed to facilitate them are not appropriate in every location, and need to be carefully positioned and designed to avoid potentially disfiguring or damaging sites and landscapes of heritage importance. This guidance helps to show how this can be done, using examples of good practice and suggesting an approach to risk assessment and mitigation.

In March 2010 Government issued Planning Policy Statement 5: Planning for the Historic Environment which in England replaced and cancelled Planning Policy Guidance Note 16 Archaeology and Planning and Planning Policy Guidance Note 15 Planning and the Historic Environment. This insert sheet describes the implications of this important change in national planning policy with regard to the planning guidance which is provided in Mineral Extraction and Archaeology: A Practice Guide (Minerals and Historic Environment Forum 2008).

Guidance on the disposal of heritage assets for government departments and non-departmental public bodies

We know that the risk of flooding is likely to increase as a result of a changing climate and increased urbanisation. This revised and updated version of our 2004 guidance is designed to help those who live in, own or manage historic buildings that may be threatened by periodic flooding. The guidance provides advice on preventative measures as well as on the inspection, conservation and repair of historic buildings after flooding.

This guidance explains how to undertake Historic Area Assessments. It complements Understanding Place: Historic Area Assessments : Principles and Practice (English Heritage 2010) which describes this approach in more detail and explains the way it relates to other approaches to understanding the character of place and its capacity for change.

This guidance document offers advice on how to undertake assessments of historic areas – for a number of purposes and in a number of circumstances, but always with the objective of defining and explaining the character of a place and defining its significance.

Good quality places are an important national, regional and local resource.The character and quality of a place has an influence on health and social well-being, nurtures community cohesion and inclusion, and draws in economic investment. Building strong places can help address the issues brought by climate change. Improving the quality of place is at the heart of sustainable development.

This guide provides the development sector with a unified accessible source of independent and practical advice and information regarding archaeology, drawing on the array of existing guidance. It is illustrated by a series of case studies showing good practice, and a few cautionary examples of less well-planned events that have led to difficulties both for developers and the archaeological heritage. This good practice guidance has been written for clients, designers and investors, and for all members of the professional teams, including archaeologists, involved with development and construction dealing with sites of known or potential archaeological interest.

The historic environment is more than an environmental and cultural asset; it is an important driver for economic development and delivering social objectives. The historic environment contributes positively to all aspects of sustainable development. English Heritage is one of the designated environmental consultation bodies for Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Sustainability Appraisal (SA).

This guide presents the general principle of how to light the internal spaces of historic buildings sympathetically with due regard to their design, layout and any existing services from previous times that are being retained.