This guidance is intended for local authority portfolio holders, corporate property officers, conservation specialists, facilities managers and corporate estate architects and building surveyors, the key decision-makers responsible for the funding and care of council-owned heritage assets. The aim of the guidance is to promote and encourage appropriate standards in the management of these assets and high quality design in new work related to them, including public spaces.
‘Heritage asset’ includes scheduled monuments and other archaeological remains; historic buildings, both statutorily listed and those of more local importance; conservation areas; historic landscapes, including registered parks and gardens, cemeteries and registered battlefields; and historic elements of the wider public realm, including publicly-owned and managed spaces and recreational parks.
The guidance covers the following:
The Context
The importance of heritage assets
‘Heritage’ is about the values that people attach to places. Our rich inheritance of local authority-owned historic buildings and other heritage assets reflects the history of communities and public services. These buildings make a crucial contribution to local identity and distinctiveness.
They help to enhance the quality of our lives through their use for cultural, educational, leisure and operational purposes and service provision. As an expression of local pride, often over several centuries, they matter to people – who must be consulted about their future.
Local authorities’ responsibilities
The functions and structure of local government continue to change, with increasing emphasis on improving local authority services. “Best value” plays a key role and has stressed the importance of developing performance indicators and benchmarks for property management. The recent White Paper Strong Local Leadership – Quality Public Services introduced a new comprehensive performance management framework for local government, which includes the management of property assets. Local authorities’ explicit objectives for holding property should be developed from, and relate directly to, the overall objectives set out in their performance plans under the best value regime; but should also contribute corporately to their protection of the historic environment and other related objectives.
Key objectives in managing heritage assets
Championing quality
Achieving quality in both the care of inherited local authority heritage assets and new construction needs leadership at senior level by a designated design and heritage champion, either the cabinet portfolio holder, or a chief officer. This is crucial to ensuring that all aspects of heritage asset management are co-ordinated and appropriate standards achieved. “Joined-up thinking” and integrated corporate working across the whole authority are vital.
Setting a good example
It is essential to local authorities’ credibility as stewards of the historic environment that they set a good example in the management of their own heritage assets. This means demonstrably achieving the standards they expect of others. The benefits of good governance in managing local authority heritage assets and the repercussions of failure to utilise or maintain them adequately, especially historic buildings of long-standing civic importance (such as town halls, assembly rooms and swimming baths) should not be underestimated. Credibility in action to secure the future of heritage assets in private ownership depends on responsible stewardship of council-owned heritage assets.
Making the most of heritage assets
Many heritage assets, particularly historic buildings that have, or had, a functional purpose, are capable of continuing beneficial use. Local authority buildings represent a major public investment. Although such buildings need not always remain in public ownership, being generally well constructed, they can be inherently sustainable and often capable of significant adaptation to meet an authority’s changing needs.
Providing access for everyone
With thought and care, historic buildings can usually be made accessible to all members of the community without compromising their character and quality. A creative and flexible approach can often provide the key to finding appropriate access solutions for historic buildings. For heritage assets that do not have a functional use, and where physical access is not possible for all, other methods should be considered to promote public understanding and appreciation of the cultural significance of the asset (i.e. through presentation and interpretation).
Good management planning for heritage assets
Know what you own
In order to review and rationalise council-owned property and provide for funding and managing heritage assets, it is essential to have full and up-to-date information on the extent, nature and physical condition of the estate. Current government guidance (including the asset management plan process) encourages local authorities only to hold property for operational or investment purposes, that link to, or support, their wider corporate objectives. Some local authorities, especially those with extensive property holdings, either do not know the full extent of their estates, or do not have comprehensive data on the number, nature, use, physical condition and performance of the property assets they own – including those with heritage value (i.e. not just scheduled or listed). Such information provides the basis for the effective management of property assets and needs to be both available and accessible.
Develop a council-wide strategy
An over-arching strategy for council property, regularly reviewed within the authority’s overall strategic plans, will be the key to keeping heritage assets in compatible uses, or determining appropriate disposal. The local authority’s over-arching strategy for its property should support its wider strategic priorities. The long-term maintenance and repair, and appropriate use, of council-owned historic buildings and other heritage assets, such as parks and gardens, should therefore be identified as a strategic objective in the council’s community and corporate plans – not least because of the wider cultural, social and environmental value that these assets may have regionally, as well as for the local community.
Managing heritage assets
Understanding as the basis for management
Understanding the nature, significance, condition and potential of a heritage asset must be the basis for rational decisions about its management, use, alteration or disposal. A sound, but succinct, understanding of a heritage asset is essential in order to determine why and how it is significant. This in turn highlights the opportunities for and constraints on change, and informs decisions about management, alterations, or disposal. Clear understanding must also provide the basis for the detailed planning brief that normally should be prepared when disposal is considered.
The importance of maintenance
Planned maintenance and repair programmes are essential for all heritage assets, and should be based on regular, detailed inspections and condition reports. Best value reviews give local authorities the opportunity fundamentally to re-examine the management of their properties. These reviews, and the asset management plan process, should provide the context in which managers can prioritise and set maintenance programmes and predict the pattern of future maintenance needs. It may therefore be useful to link cyclical inspections and reports on the condition of heritage assets with a best value review. A higher standard of maintenance is likely to be required for heritage assets than for the corporate property estate as a whole and management arrangements should make this explicit.
Disposal of heritage assets
Take a positive attitude to disposal
The disposal of heritage assets, especially those that are potentially straightforward to adapt to alternative uses, may provide the best solution for such property. Government guidance urges local authorities only to continue to hold property assets if they fit the authority’s current requirements in terms of achieving its objectives, including financial. In the current climate, there needs to be good reason to retain council property. A distinction should be made, however, between those assets whose historic importance rests largely on their character as public buildings and those that are only in public ownership by chance. For the former, every effort should be made to continue their core civic/public uses. If that is not reasonably achievable, disposal should take account of the community interest in the public spaces, perhaps through a partnership arrangement (say with a private sector partner, or a building preservation or community trust).
Obtain optimum value
The aim on disposal of heritage assets should be to obtain optimum value, rather than the highest price. The aim should be to obtain the best return for the taxpayer that is consistent with government policies for the protection of heritage assets: this may well limit the realisation of potential development values. The government’s more relaxed approach to disposal at less than highest price has helpfully been confirmed in the Draft General Consent for the Disposal of Local Authority Land and accompanying circular. If adopted, this will enable local authorities “to dispose of any interest in land held under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, which they consider will contribute to the promotion or improvement of the economic, social or environmental well-being of the area for less than best consideration reasonably obtainable”, provided the undervalue does not exceed £2million.
