Specialist Advice
There is a wide range of organizations happy to give advice on
all aspects of owning and caring for historic buildings. Many
publish leaflets and guidance notes on specific issues, others
offer practical courses and events; click the title of each for
direct access to their websites and contact details.
Conservation Organisations
The Society for the Protection of
Ancient Buildings offer excellent technical
advice on all aspects of maintaining historic buildings, publish a
series of guidance notes for repair works and run home-owners’
courses and other events nationwide. The SPAB
is primarily concerned with buildings pre-dating 1714.
The Georgian
Group publish a series of advisory leaflets aimed
at the house owner for buildings dated between 1714 and 1837.
The Victorian
Society publish a series of illustrated booklets
- Care for Victorian Houses – for owners of Victorian and
Edwardian houses, as well as organize events nationwide. The
website includes an advice section for frequently asked
questions.
Building
Conservation is an online source which publishes
excellent articles on all aspects of historic building
conservation. It also includes information on publications,
courses and events.
Period Property
UK is a useful website offering advice to
owners of historic buildings; particularly useful are the
Discussion Forum, Agony Uncle and Information sections.
The Institution of Historic
Building Conservation organise an extensive range
of short courses aimed primarily at educating craftsmen and
contractors in specialist conservation fields.
Government Departments and Agencies
English
Heritage are the Governments advisors on heritage
issues. Their website is an excellent source of a wide range
of practical and informative advice concerning Listed Buildings,
Conservation Areas and Historic Parks and Gardens.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is
the government department responsible for the identification,
conservation, enhancement of the historic environment, under whom
English Heritage operate.
Department of
Communities and Local Government publishes
Planning Policy Statement 5 – Planning for the Historic
Environment, the Governments guidance to ourselves as the Local
Planning Authority regarding both the formulation of our Local
Development Plan and the consideration of individual applications.
This document should be read in conjunction with the Historic
Environment Planning Practice Guide which provides guidance on the
interpretation of the policies in PPS5 in addition to general
conservation advice.
Legislation
Office of Public Sector
Information publishes the two statutory
instruments relating to planning and the historic environment, the
Town
and Country Planning Act 1990 and the Planning
(Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.
Professionals, Contractors, Products and Suppliers
Please be aware that the Council as a Local Planning Authority
can neither endorse nor recommend any individual professional,
contractor, product or service, however you may find these sources
of information of interest.
Royal Institute of Chartered
Surveyors co-ordinates an accreditation scheme,
and publishes a list in this respect, for Chartered Surveyors in
Historic Building Conservation. They also organise training events
for building professionals.
Royal Institute of British
Architects can give details of Chartered
Architects in this region.
Building
Conservation is an online directory of
products and services and includes a large section on historic
building professionals ranging from architects to surveyors,
historians to structural engineers, as well as specialist products
and contracts.
Other Sites Of Interest
Images Of
England is an online directory of the National
Monuments Records digital library of photographs and list
descriptions of every listed building in England.
HELM
(Historic Environment Local Management). This provides
accessible information, training and guidance to decision makers in
local authorities, regional agencies and national organisations
whose actions affect the historic environment. The HELM
website contains the latest English Heritage publications,
information, details of HELM and other training events, useful web
links and news. There are searchable databases of good practice
case studies.
Climate Change and Listed Buildings is an
interactive website, a joint venture between English
Heritage and Eon, providing information and advice on
how the historic environment and climate change can be
compatible. Information can also be found on the HELM
website and in publications such as The Green Guide for Historic
Buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed
and historic buildings by The Princes
Regeneration Trust.
If you require any further general advice about listed buildings
or conservation areas please contact our Planning Enquiries Team on
01233 330264 or via email.
This webpage was updated on
9/3/2010