Welcome to the HER21 page. This site offers access to the full suite of HER21 project reports.

English Heritage is committed to Heritage Protection Reform (HPR). A critical element of this reform is ensuring that useful, appropriate and accurate information is readily available to those making planning decisions about the future of our historic environment.

The Government recognises the central part which Historic Environment Records (HERs) play in providing access to this vital knowledge and English Heritage is committed to assisting local authorities to develop HERs that are consistent with HPR approaches and that enhance the evidence base for effective planning.

To meet this aim English Heritage is working on a 5 year strategy to support the development of HERs towards HPR consistency. The HER21 programme forms part of the first phase of the implementation stage of the strategy. It was launched in February 2010 and comprised fourteen projects carried out between March 2010 and March 2011. We commissioned these on the grounds that they complied with the areas in which we had identified further work was needed.

The launch event for Know Your Place where the website was demonstrated and the public were able to view some of the original maps 

Strategic research

These four projects were commissioned by tender and were designed to provide the sector with greater understanding of user requirements, integration of HERs with wider planning process, and the establishment of standards or guidance for HER development.

• 6032 The Historic Environment Officer Managing an HPR Compliant HER
• 6033 HER-Derived Alert and Constraint Mapping Supplied to Local Authorities
• 6034 Development of GIS Data Standards for Use in HERs in England
• 6035 Interoperability of HERs and Local Authority Planning Systems

Expanding the content and coverage of HERs in line with HPR

These projects were developed by, or in close conjunction with, local authorities and do two things: they present new methods of integrating the full range of historic environment data into HERs and forgeing effective links with relevant datasets held outside those HERs, and they examine the challenges and opportunities presented by increased on-line public accessibility to HER data.

• 6000 Bristol Historic Web Map
• 6003 The Historic Buildings of Worcestershire
• 6004 Worcester City Historic Buildings
• 6005 Developing the HER of East Sussex and Brighton & Hove
• 6013 Information and Partnerships
• 6015 Heritage Asset Information Management in Kent
• 6016 Extending Professional Access to the Lincolnshire HER
• 6022 Integrating and Linking Historic Environment Data in Devon
• 6024 Using HERs under the Revised Ecclesiastical Exemption Order 2010
• 6027 From SMR to HER: Integrating Built Historic Environment Records in Gloucestershire

‘There is much to be proud of in the HER21 programme and we feel it has moved us all a significant step further in our work to support HPR-consistent HERs. We hope you find it useful’ - Simon Thurley, CEO of English Heritage

What is an HPR Consistent HER?

Historic Environment Records are structured and dynamic sources of information about the local historic environment which underpin the local planning system and the management of the local historic environment. They are publically accessible and managed by specialist staff who both collect and explain the information contained in the HER. As an information service, they consist of databases, indexes and reference collections usually linked to a Geographical Information System (GIS). They should seek consistency in both structure and content, from one HER to another, as well as reasonable and proportionate completeness of information.

Over the coming weeks we will be developing these pages and adding short reports on methodology and lessons learned that relate to particular topics or themes. We will be updating the site regularly with information on the current and next stages of the work so please do check the page for updates.

Contact us

Additional useful information

• The HER21 scheme summaries
• Sites and Monuments Record to Historic Environment Record: Local Authority Case Studies
  This English Heritage publication showcases the exciting range of uses to which Local Authorities have already put their HER. Case Studies range across five themes including access and outreach, content and coverage, partnership working, interoperability and information management.

www.helm.org.uk/HERs