Launch of the National Heritage List for England as English Heritage sets out plans to cope with a £51 million fall in income
click the image to go to the list
English Heritage has launched the National Heritage List for England, describing it as
a new online database of the country’s 400,000 listed buildings, registered parks, gardens and battlefields, protected shipwrecks and scheduled monuments. For the first time ever, separate registers and lists for different types of heritage are combined in one and the public can now go online to search for heritage by postcode, by date, by grade or by any category from listed building to listed lamp-post, from scheduled coal mines to castles.
Anyone can nominate a place to be considered for designation using the online form.
Today English Heritage also set out priorities for the coming years in it corporate plan (click here for a pdf) against a background of a £52 million pound drop in income over the next 4 years.
English Heritage Corporate plan (click for pdf)
In a news release they say:
Some of the priorities are:
- Marine and coastal heritage;
- 20th century heritage;
- Historic towns and suburbs;
- Rescuing heritage at risk;
- Supporting local authorities and building local capacity;
- Ensuring heritage protection continues under changes to planning system;
- Supporting the sale of public assets and encouraging their sympathetic re-use;
- Safeguarding heritage amid increasing development pressures;
- Tackling heritage crime; and
- Understanding the energy performance of historic buildings and help homeowners adapt and “green up” their properties in the most effective way
“It is imperative that we concentrate on what only we can do”
Baroness Andrews, Chair of English Heritage, said: “Our main task is to identify and protect the most significant physical remains of our nation’s history and to make them even more accessible and even more widely appreciated. This is a huge challenge. For our part, we will be making considerable investment in our major properties which will hugely enhance people’s appreciation of these places and their part in our nation’s story.
“But overall, despite our best efforts, the state of the nation’s heritage is fragile, and we cannot do everything. Nor should we. As public funding diminishes, it is imperative that we concentrate on what only we can do. Ours is a national responsibility to create and apply national standards. It is important that we support and collaborate with others to promote the great cultural legacy we all share. We need to provide support for local communities and private citizens to champion their local heritage. The new National Heritage List will make a huge difference here.”
