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Heritage

Aimed at anyone working on heritage projects, this section provides practical guidance on surveying, managing and caring for historic buildings and their settings, as well as specialist techniques for investigating heritage.

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An Introduction to the Historic Environment

Our Historic Environment is all around us. It is the evidence that still survives of past human activity, and how we have lived and shaped the world around us.

This can be seen not just in our historic buildings, but also in the way in which our settlements have formed and developed, in how we have managed and designed our landscapes, and in the archaeological evidence of past activity.

It not only provides us with considerable evidence of our history, but it is also vital in establishing our sense of place, and our local, regional, and national identities.

Some elements of the historic environment are identified to be of such exceptional importance that merit national designation. These include:

  • Listed Buildings
  • Conservation Areas
  • Registered Parks and Gardens
  • Scheduled Monuments
  • Protected Wrecks
  • Registered Battlefields.

Relevant planning policy and legislation

The conservation of the historic environment is vital, and this is reflected in both legislation and planning policy.

The most important legislation relating to Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas is the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.

This act sets out the process of designating a Listed Building (section 1), the requirement to obtain Listed Building Consent before carrying out works to a Listed Building (section 7), and that it is an offence to carry out works without first gaining this consent (section 9). It also sets out the process of how a consent application will be submitted (sections 10-11), assessed (section 17), conditioned (section 12) and varied (section 19). It also sets out the powers that local authorities can use to protect Listed Buildings (sections 38-51) The act also covers the process for designating and reviewing a Conservation Area (sections 69-71) and the considerations that local authorities will consider when deciding whether to grant permission for works within Conservation Areas (section 72).

National policy is set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (the NPPF). This provides the basis from which decision making is taken within the planning system, which seeks to produce sustainable and positive development. Section 16 of the NPPF relates specifically to the historic environment, and notes that heritage assets are ‘an irreplaceable resource’, which should be ‘conserved in a manner appropriate to their significance, so that they can be enjoyed for their contribution to the quality of life of existing and future generations’ (paragraph 202).

When considering the impact of a proposed development on a heritage asset, the local authority is therefore required to ‘give great weight to the asset’s conservation’ (paragraph 212). If the significance of an asset is going to be harmed, this harm requires ‘clear and convincing justification’ (paragraph 213). In the case of this harm being ‘less than substantial; the local authority is required to weigh this harm against the public benefits of the proposal (paragraph 215), while if this harm is substantial there is a presumption that the authority should refuse consent, unless there is substantial public benefit, or a series of strict tests are met (paragraph 214).

Section 16 of the NPPF also sets out the Government’s policy and guidance regarding the treatment of archaeological remains in the planning process. In this section the NPPF requires that local planning authorities ensure that an applicant has described the significance of any heritage assets affected by a proposed development and that when this could impact on archaeological remains, an appropriate desk-based assessment and field evaluation be submitted (paragraph 207).

The NPPF also states that local planning authorities should maintain or have access to a historic environment record and that this should contain up-to-date information (paragraph 205) In East Yorkshire, this role is fulfilled by the Humber Historic Environment Record, which not only curates the records of archaeological sites in the county, but also provides advice and guidance on planning applications, pre-application enquiries, land management schemes, demolition notices and forestry planting schemes.

At a local level, heritage is also given protection within the East Riding of Yorkshire Local Plan (adopted in 2016). This is particularly set out in local plan policy ENV3, which states that:

'Where possible, heritage assets should be used to reinforce local distinctiveness, create a sense of place, and assist in the delivery of the economic well-being of the area. This can be achieved by putting assets, particularly those at risk, to an appropriate, viable and sustainable use.'

And that:

'The significance, views, setting, character, appearance and context of heritage assets, both designated and non-designated, should be conserved, especially the key features that contribute to the East Riding’s distinctive historic character.'

Significance

Significance is the most vital concept that needs to be understood when considering the Historic Environment, and the designation of heritage assets. It is defined in the National Planning Policy Framework as being:

'The value of a heritage asset to this and future generations because of its heritage interest. The interest may be archaeological, architectural, artistic or historic. Significance derives not only from a heritage asset’s physical presence, but also from its setting.'

In essence, therefore, its significance is what makes the asset special, and what makes it worthy of conservation and designation. It is also the impact on the significance of an asset which any development proposals will be assessed against, and it is what an applicant will be expected to accurately describe in the heritage statement which they submit to support any application.

When proposing to carry out works to a heritage asset it is therefore vital to begin by gaining an understanding of its significance, so works can then be tailored to protect and better reveal this significance. While there are multiple elements that can contribute to the significance of a heritage asset, these can often be summarised under the headings mentioned in the NPPF definition above (archaeological, architectural, artistic, and historic interest).

These are often referred to as the heritage ‘values’ and are explored in more detail in Conservation Principles, which has been produced by Historic England.

The setting of heritage assets

When considering the significance of heritage assets, it is important not just to consider the asset itself, but also the contribution which is made by the surroundings in which that heritage asset is experienced. This is called its setting, and it is also protected in legislation and policy.

The extent of this setting is not fixed, and it will vary from asset to asset. For example, the setting of a country house may encompass a large associated landscape, whereas the setting of a listed water pump may be limited to the buildings to which it is immediately adjacent.

The extent of setting may also be defined by the scale of the development proposed- for example, while a garden shed located 500m away from a listed building may not alter the context in which the heritage asset is experienced, the siting of a ten storey tower block in the same location may well have an impact on its significance and how it is experienced.

In some situations, this setting may make a strong positive contribution to the significance of an asset, such as where it emphasises the assets historic relationship with the landscape or other assets.

In other instances, it may have a negative impact, such as where a heritage asset has been separated from its historic context by incongruous modern development.

More detailed guidance on setting, and how to assess its importance to the significance of an asset, has been produced by Historic England, and is available.

Heritage statements

When submitting an application which affects the significance of a heritage asset you will be required to submit a heritage statement in order for the application to be validated. This is a requirement set out within the National Planning Policy Framework, which highlights in paragraph 207 that:

In determining applications, local planning authorities should require an applicant to describe the significance of any heritage assets affected, including any contribution made by their setting. The level of detail should be proportionate to the assets’ importance and no more than is sufficient to understand the potential impact of the proposal on their significance.

As a minimum the relevant historic environment record should have been consulted and the heritage assets assessed using appropriate expertise where necessary. Where a site on which development is proposed includes, or has the potential to include, heritage assets with archaeological interest, local planning authorities should require developers to submit an appropriate desk-based assessment and, where necessary, a field evaluation.

This may seem daunting, but a good heritage statement can normally be broken into five aspects:

  1. What are the heritage assets that will be affected?
  2. What makes these assets significant (including the contribution made by their setting)
  3. What impact will the proposals have on this significance? (ie, will the effects be positive, neutral, or harmful?)
  4. If the proposals will result in harm, have you considered all other options- to ensure that this harm cannot be avoided, mitigating or minimised?
  5. If the harm is unavoidable, and has been minimised, what is the justification for that harm? Is it essential to bring about wider public benefits? Do these benefits outweigh the harm caused?

Further guidance on writing heritage statements has been produced by Historic England.

However, where development is on a large scale or affects a lot of heritage assets, we recommend that you seek help from a qualified heritage professional, who will be able to produce a detailed heritage statement for you. While we cannot recommend any specific professionals, there are registers of professionals accredited by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, and a list of accredited businesses.

Archaeology and the Historic Environment Record

The landscape of East Yorkshire contains a variety of designated and non-designated archaeological sites, from the wetland landscape of Holderness to the chalk uplands of the Yorkshire Wolds. The vast amount of buried and extant remains highlight the importance that the county’s rich archaeological heritage makes to the East Riding that we see and enjoy today.

Alongside the nationally-designated Scheduled Monuments, such as the Rudston Monolith and Meaux Abbey, there are also a substantial amount of non-designated sites. Together these enrich our understanding of the past, and play in an important part in telling the story of our shared history. It is also likely that the known archaeology within the East Riding represents only a tiny fraction of what still remains undiscovered.

The East Riding and Hull Historic Environment Record is responsible for curating the archaeological resource of the county and it contains a wide range of records, from isolated finds of prehistoric flint implements to large Romano-British cropmark complexes.

The Historic Environment Record also ensures that all archaeological fieldwork undertaken in the county adheres to national and industry standards. This make sure that a high quality of accurate data is produced, meaning that we have a robust evidence base, that can be utilised in future decision-making concerning the historic environment.

If you require further information in relation to archaeology, the information held by the East Riding and Hull Historic Environment Record on the archaeological landscape of East Yorkshire is available to the public on the Heritage Gateway website.

Digital searches can be provided on request by submitting a completed copy of the relevant request form, depending on whether these searches are for commercial or non-commercial projects. The cost of producing commercial searches is charged at £120 per hour (or part thereof). Before completing these forms, users should read the conditions for the use and license for the re-use of HER information and the Digital Data Agreement (all below).

For all other queries you can contact the Historic Environment team directly at:

Email: HistoricEnvironmentRecord@eastriding.gov.uk

Getting in touch and getting advice

If you need further guidance or information on any of the subjects set out above (excepting archaeology), please do contact the Building Conservation team at:

Email: buildingconservation@eastriding.gov.uk

If you require further guidance on archaeology, you can contact the Historic Environment team directly at:

Email: archaeology@hullcc.gov.uk

We will be happy to help with general enquiries, or to provide you with more clarity on all aspects of the historic environment. However, if you would like detailed comments on a specific proposal to carry out works, this will need to be arranged through our pre-application service.

If these works would also require planning permission, this request should be made through our planning pre-application service. More information on this service is available here.

If your proposals relate to works that would solely require Listed Building Consent, we can provide advice through our specialist pre-application service.

Detailed advice notes on the conservation of the Historic Environment have also been produced by Historic England, the Government’s statutory advisor on heritage. These cover a wide range of topics, including guidance on how to best integrate upgrades to improve Energy Efficiency in Historic Buildings, to the conservation of windows, to guidance on how to determine whether a building is curtilage listed. An A-Z list of these publications is available.

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