Abstract

Historic farm buildings are an integral part of the agricultural landscape of England and an important cultural and economic resource. Some continue to play a part in agricultural production and, increasingly, they have a role in farm diversification as places to live and work. However, they are also a threatened resource. Many have been poorly converted, to the detriment of their historic character and interest. Many more are no longer appropriate for their original purpose and, within the context of a changing rural economy, are becoming redundant and vulnerable to neglect and subsequent demolition. An understanding of the character and condition of the resource, as well as the forces that drive change in historic farm buildings, is vital if informed decisions are to be made about their future.

In 2001 English Heritage and the Countryside Agency commissioned the Countryside & Community Research Unit to undertake research into the nature, condition and management of English historic farmsteads. The overall aims of the research were:

• to provide baseline data on the character and management of, and threats to, listed agricultural buildings in rural areas;
• to determine the factors that precipitate change in management of the historic farm building resource.

To fulfil these aims an exhaustive range of research methods was used, combining desk study with the analysis of empirical information from databases or collected via questionnaires, and telephone and personal interviews.

Working agricultural buildings, as distinct from farmhouses, comprise the largest category of listed buildings considered to be at risk. They tend to be in worse condition than other types of building. Over half the agricultural list entries have been subject to planning applications since 1980 and at least one in five list entries with working farmstead buildings has had permission for a change of use, mainly into permanent dwellings. Conversion for employment and businesses is far less common.

Conversion to alternative uses can have a significant adverse impact on the character and landscape setting of a working farmstead building. Pressure for conversion comes mainly from increased demand for dwellings as rural populations rise and communications improve. This has coincided with a corresponding change in Government planning policy towards encouraging economic, sustainable development in rural areas, partly to counteract the decline of agriculture. These drivers are likely to persist into the future and further increase the pace at which conversion is taking place.

Local authorities vary greatly in their policy towards historic working farmstead buildings. Just over half offer grants for the upkeep of mainly listed buildings, but only very small sums are available. Fewer than half of all authorities monitor changes to these buildings. Fewer than half of the Local Plans examined explicitly recognise the contribution of farm buildings to the historic environment, and the majority make no reference to protecting historic character when considering re-use. Plans at all spatial levels indicate a strong preference for employment-related rather than residential use. This is usually justified as causing less damage to the character of buildings and providing greater economic benefits. The planning system generally resists new development in rural areas and this can redirect the pressure for development onto existing rural buildings, including farmsteads.

Few stakeholders feel that local planning policies satisfactorily integrate the two main objectives of national planning policy with regard to historic farm buildings: fostering economic re-use and conserving a valuable historic asset. This is attributed to a lack of guidance on the reconciliation of these objectives. National policy is also thought to be insufficiently sensitive to differences between places, economic circumstances and different buildings. While national policy has favoured re-use of working farmstead buildings for employment purposes, conversions are almost always to dwellings, for which the demand is greatest and profits may be highest. Many local authority conservation officers feel that residential conversions are often of poor quality and that national policy allows them to take place too easily. Applicants for permission for change of use, though, feel this results from poor design rather than the intrinsic nature of residential conversion; they believe national policy is too restrictive.

In terms of best practice in the conversion of working farmstead buildings, strong but flexible planning policies enable adaptation to individual circumstances within a firm framework. Architects are deemed to be the key players, while a sympathetic owner is considered almost as important. Pre-application consultation is critical in determining the success of a scheme; it improves relationships between participants and results in low numbers of planning permission refusals. Other important factors include the use and availability of local materials and traditional methods, the availability of good-quality planning guidance and a good working relationship between the local planning authority and the applicant.

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