Caring for the Historic Environment

Your involvement is vital to ensure the historic environment is a significant factor in all local authority policies and forward strategies. We hope that, by raising awareness among your colleagues, the HELM project will encourage better communication on development control and strategic decisions that impact on the historic environment.

HELM responds to the government’s reforms of the planning system. These include the forthcoming revision of PPGs 15 and 16 into a single Planning Policy Statement and the Heritage Protection Review where the option for a unified list is explored. At both local and national government levels, policy and procedures relating to historic buildings, buried archaeology and landscapes are becoming more closely connected.

‘Better understanding of heritage concerns by planners and better integration of heritage issues into mainstream planning … help to reduce the perception that caring for the heritage is a problem in planning’ Kate Clarke, Cultural Trends 43 & 44, 2001.

PPG15 & 16 place the onus on the applicant to provide sufficient information on which to base informed decisions. These are applicable to sites, buildings and landscapes of potential historic/archaeological interest, whether or not they are designated. Early assessment enables conservation as well as commercial needs to influence the design of the proposed scheme.

Heritage and Planning Policy

Local Authority Practice and PPG15: Information and Effectiveness (Oxford Brookes University September 2000) states that action is needed to ensure that applications are accompanied by adequate conservation information on which to base planning decisions, in order to minimise delays.

The information required may vary from a good set of drawings/photographs to a full impact assessment report commissioned by a developer. Where appropriate, redesign to protect and/or developer-funded investigation, recording and analysis of historic assets may be secured through the planning process. An approved specification is necessary to ensure that reports contain the required information. Descriptions and illustrations within the report allow the author’s conclusions to be tested and decisions that are both informed and independent to be reached.

Data on archaeological and historic buildings research is vital to inform development control and conservation management decisions. 'Historic Environment Records' is the new term for SMR databases, indicating the move to include more information on standing buildings. Digital data on historic environment investigations, reports submitted as part of the planning process and the results of local research projects are stored by local Historic Environment Records, whilst nationally an index to these works is maintained by the National Monument Record.

The use of appraisal, characterisation, local lists, management plans, supplementary planning guidance and policy in local plans, etc. assist long term management of the historic environment, and inform developers and planners of the criteria against which applications will be judged.

Heritage Champions

Has your local authority got a Heritage Champion? If not, please consider whether your authority should approach one of its elected members who would be prepared act as an advocate for the historic environment.

We hope that this website will benefit you by providing a range of guidance and policy to assist you with the management and protection of archaeology, historic buildings and landscapes. Its use may also contribute to your own Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme by keeping up to date with technical guidance. This online resource includes case studies showing good practice across the country that could form the basis of training presentations given to others. We would welcome further case studies, particularly where effective conservation management solutions have been found.

Guidance and policy documents are available on this website when accessed through the website's five topic buttons: Regeneration & Design, Understanding & Recording, Place & Placemaking, Managing & Protecting and Funding. English Heritage documents can also be searched and downloaded as a PDF by using the Guidance Library.

The HELM website has a list of guidance produced by local authorities, amenity groups and relevant bodies which can also be found using the Guidance Library. Case Studies may be searched for examples of good practice across the country.
 
HELM offers training for councillors and officers in local authorities and government agencies.