HERITAGE STUDIES
"Understanding the past to plan for the future"
A bespoke service
Our in-house expertise and professional accreditation with the IHBC (Institute of Historic Building Conversation) puts us in a unique position to offer heritage studies and statements for any listed building project, digging into the history and developing a thorough understanding of its evolution. This may be required out of necessity to support a planning application, or purely for building occupiers curiosity. We also assist with Preliminary Archaeological Assessments where required with projects in areas of High Archaeological potential.
This is a completely bespoke service aimed squarely at listed building owners, involving site visits and walkarounds with clients, extensive research into archival data, coordination with local records and historic map regressions.
Reports can be fully structured, in summary format for easier reading, or in a heritage statement format that supports a planning or listed building application Please see our FAQ section on heritage statements for more information below.
When is a heritage study / statement required?
A heritage statement should accompany planning applications for:
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substantial or total demolition of a building in a conservation area,
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works to buildings on the local list,
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works affecting the setting of a listed building or a conservation area, and
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all listed building applications.
What information should be included in a heritage statement?
Justification should be proposal under the criteria set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.
This should provide information about:
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the significance of the heritage asset affected, including any contribution made by their setting,
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the principles of and justification for the proposed works, and
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the impact of the proposal on the significance of a heritage asset, does it cause a lot of harm or total loss of significance.
The information should explain:
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the sources that you have considered,
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the expertise that you have consulted, and
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the steps that have been taken to avoid or minimise any adverse impacts on the significance of the asset.
If the proposed works would cause substantial harm or total loss of significance, a method statement and justification in line with National Planning Policy Framework should be provided. The type and amount of detail required will vary according to the particular circumstances of each application.
We regularly complete in-depth heritage statements for our clients, which involve many hours of research on a building. For assistance with your project please get in touch.
