The Building Conservation Directory 2015

T W E N T Y S E C O N D E D I T I O N

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PROFESS IONAL SERV I CES

CONSERVATION and

HERITAGE STATEMENTS

LIZ HUMBLE

ONSERVATION OF

our historic places

does not mean preventing all change,

preserving a place as if frozen in time.

Nor is conservation about restoring a place to

how it appeared at one period in time. Implicit

in the term conservation is an acceptance of

appropriate change as society’s requirements

for buildings or places alter over the years.

Conservation and heritage statements

enable the significance and special character

of historic places to be understood and

consequently retained in a sustainable way

as they continue to evolve. This is recognised

in England in the 2012

National Planning

Policy Framework

(NPPF), which defines

conservation as the ‘process of maintaining

and managing change to a heritage asset in

a way that sustains, and where appropriate,

enhances its significance’. This ethos and

approach to the process of conservation is

shared by most statutory bodies across the UK.

This article considers the most commonly

prepared heritage documents for historic

buildings: conservation management plans,

conservation statements and heritage

statements. Depending on the nature of the

site, other specialist reports (on structural

stability, archaeology, ecology, etc) may also

be required as part of the process of managing

change and applying for the necessary

permissions and consents.

WHAT ARE THEY FOR?

Conservation and heritage statements

play an important role in the dynamic

process of conservation across the UK

and they are drawn up for a number of

reasons. They can be a requirement of the

planning system, a condition of accessing

funding streams or an integral part of

the management of large estates.

Conservation management plans are a

requirement of Round 2 Heritage Lottery

Fund applications for Heritage Grants or

Heritage Enterprise programmes for projects

involving capital works of £2 million or

more. Major custodians such as the National

Trust, English Heritage, Historic Scotland,

Cadw and government departments also

tend to commission or prepare conservation

management plans to inform the management

of their properties.

Conservation statements and

management plans can be used to guide a

development project, to assess the impact of

existing or future projects on the significance

identified, and to prepare detailed, costed

management proposals. For large estates

it is often beneficial to prepare an overall

‘framework’ conservation management plan.

This allows for bespoke heritage statements

to be prepared in response to proposals

for individual buildings or components, as

development projects come forwards.

In contrast, heritage statements tend to be

less detailed reports that are produced to support

applications for planning permission and listed

building or scheduled monument consent.

This is set out in statutory planning

guidance and policy by each of the home

nations, as well as in the British Standard,

Guide to the conservation of historic buildings

Paragraph 4.1 of BS7913:2013 states that:

Research and appraisal into the

heritage values and significance of the

historic building should be carried

out to ensure that decisions resulting

in change are informed by a thorough

understanding of them. The level of the

research appropriate is dependent on

the nature and history of the historic

building (for example, any statutory

protection) and any proposed works.

Together these plans and statements are

a vital part in the management of historic

places, ensuring that the history, development,

character and significance of our heritage

assets is understood, and enabling well

informed proposals for new work, alterations,

repairs or demolition.

SECULAR HERITAGE PROTECTION

The origins and development of our system

of legislative control and statutory guidance

have been expertly summarised elsewhere,

for example in Nicholas Doggett’s and Stuart

Eydmann’s article in the 2007 edition of

The Building Conservation Directory

(see

Recommended Reading). Given the speed of

recent changes it is, however, worth briefly

summarising the principal changes to the

system of heritage protection since 2007

as they apply to England, Scotland, Wales

and Northern Ireland, since this underpins

the process of managing change within our

historic environment.

The secular heritage protection and control

system for the devolved nations runs along

closely parallel lines with a shared ethos, albeit

with some differences in detail. The penalties

for carrying out unauthorised work (which is a

criminal offence) can be severe. The legislation

remains unchanged since 2007, although the

anticipated draft

Heritage Bill

is expected to be

passed into law by the Welsh Assembly in 2015.

Policy guidance for England supporting the

Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation

Areas) Act

1990 has been updated with the

National Planning Policy Framework

(2012) and

the accompanying

Planning Practice Guidance

(2014). In Scotland the renewed policy guidance

is currently contained within the

Scottish

Historic Environment Policy

(2011).

A conservation management plan for Acklam Hall (late 17th century, Grade I) has guided the building’s owner,

Middlesbrough Council, in the future development of the hall and surrounding parkland.