Written evidence submitted by the
Institute of Historic Building Conservation

The Institute of Historic Building Conservation is the professional body of the United Kingdom representing conservation specialists and historic environment practitioners in the public and private sectors. The Institute exists to establish the highest standards of conservation practice, to support the effective protection and enhancement of the historic environment, and to promote heritage-led regeneration and access to the historic environment for all. We are very pleased to have the chance to offer comments to the Inquiry. 

A Summary of the key points is included on from Page 1 and the main evidence continues from Page 5.

Summary of evidence of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation

1. What are the most significant challenges facing owners and operators of built heritage assets, and how are they affecting what those sites can offer

1. Lack of a sector skills and workforce capacity
2. Increasing costs squeeze budget available for maintenance of heritage
3. Increasing maintenance costs
4. Declining grant funds
5. Declining visitor numbers
6. Climate change

a.      Impact of retrofit measures

b.      Damage to heritage assets by impacts of climate change

What interventions are needed to prevent the managed decline of heritage assets on publicly-owned land?

1. Employ creative conservation skills
2. Ensure strategic planning and long-term vision from government, national and local and other public agencies.
3. Provide training and education for conservation
4. Prioritise sufficient long-term heritage budget funds
5. Generate local interest and volunteer involvement
6. Balance preservation with creative managed change
7. Consider low-cost asset transfer to a public benefit owner
8. Consider establishing partnerships with other public organisations or private bodies.

What can the Government do to make it easier for communities or local businesses to take ownership of historic buildings?

1. Make specialist conservation advice available

a.      Ensure local authorities have sufficient specialist advice which is made freely available

b.      Offer grants or subsidies for engaging consultant conservation professionals.

c.      Offer funding for feasibility studies and other developmental work

2. Engagement and promotion

a.       Provide basic training in historic building conservation for community groups and their members. 

b.       Promote exemplar schemes

c.        Assist communities in developing strong leadership and sound business planning

3. Grants, subsidies and direct payments

a.      Provide direct investment in heritage projects by improving infrastructure or access.

b.      Support local trusts and community groups to buy and restore historic buildings

c.      Support building preservation trust revolving funds to acquire, restore and resell restored buildings

d.      Encourage the use of modern community digital fundraising methods such as Crowdfunding

e.      Implement a community benefit scheme supporting historic buildings from a percentage share of revenue from new power generation developments.

f.       Provide grants or cost-effective loans to community groups

g.      Reduce VAT on the repair of historic buildings and other building refurbishment.

4. Acquisition of heritage assets

a.      Encourage active partnerships between public bodies, private companies and local community groups

b.      Streamline and simplify the processes for asset transfer for historic buildings to community ownership.

c.      Encourage the use of ‘back-to-back’ acquisition/disposal arrangements

2. How effective are the current funding and finance models for built heritage?

1. Government funding and tax incentives

a.      Focus funding programmes on areas with viability challenges. 

b.      Maintain the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

c.      Reduce VAT on the repair of buildings especially historic and Listed Buildings.

2. Private investment

a.      Private investment is less likely to be focused in areas with viability challenges. 

b.      Crowdfunding supports smaller heritage projects, involves the public and raises awareness of heritage.

3. Community interest funding

a.      Building Preservation Trusts and other mission-driven funding with a strong preservation ethos, less commercial drive and a commitment to public benefit ensures conservation standards and philosophical integrity in projects.

What should long-term public funding for the sector look like?

a.      Guarantee long term funding streams in all public funding.

b.      Funding programmes focused on

a.      Heritage at risk

b.      Areas with low viability rather than high growth

c.      Hard to maintain assets of high significance

3. What role does built heritage play in the regeneration of local areas and in contributing to economic growth and community identity?

1. Heritage-led economic development and regeneration has transformed many areas.  A renewed focus on heritage-led regeneration would support investment, are sustainable and have long term benefits for a relatively small investment.
2. Small independent businesses and innovative creative industries often operate in vibrant historic areas on the edges of towns and cities where the rent is more affordable and the character of the area distinct and defined.
3. Restoring and maintaining historic buildings helps social cohesion, ownership, community pride and maintains local character.
4. Heritage tourism makes a major contribution to the economy.  
5. Conservation projects generate direct employment but also help maintain traditional craft skills.
6. The community values and economic contribution of heritage are set out in more detail in Chapter 2 of Conservation Professional Practice Principles, published by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, Historic Towns and Villages Forum and Civic Voice (2017)[1]

How can heritage buildings be supported to increase energy efficiency and contribute to the Government’s net zero targets?

1. Conservation of the historic built environment is an inherently sustainable activity.
2. The historic built environment is a non-renewable resource and securing its long-term survival is an essential component of sustainable development.
3. Historic buildings contain large amounts of embodied energy and carbon.
4. There is often scope to improve the performance of historic buildings, through appropriate repairs and adaptations.
5. A balanced judgement should be taken, taking account of the relative significance of the building and its contribution to environmental quality.
6. Positive action for reuse and regeneration of existing buildings is both sustainable and supports community character and identity.
7. The reuse of existing empty homes and vacant space above shops is a priority in the successful regeneration of town centres.

4. What are the financial, regulatory and practical barriers to preserving built heritage?

1. Financial barriers

a.   Increased costs. 

b.   VAT prioritises new build and replacement over repair and preservation.   Removal of VAT on repairs would encourage the repair and reuse of historic buildings. 

c.    Decreasing funding opportunities.

2. Regulatory barriers

a.      Recent permitted development powers have resulted in poor quality housing and inappropriate alterations.  The change of town centre buildings to closed uses and residential does not support the future of town centres, it causes harm to their character, diversity and economic viability. The unchecked introduction of residential uses into commercial areas can further compromise existing commercial uses. 

b.      Conservation Area permitted development.  Conservation Areas offer weak protection with permitted development rights without additional Article 4 controls. There are vast variations in controls from area to area. Article 4 directions are not well understood and are complex, time consuming and highly political to impose. There is a pressing need to make Conservation Areas simpler, more consistent, more open, and understandable.

c.      Local Government skills and capacity.   The important role of Local Government in the protection of the historic environment and promotion of good design are impaired by lack of specialist heritage capacity in Local Authorities.  Local Authorities should be required to provide and maintain appropriate staffing capacity in heritage and design.

3. Practical Barriers

a.      Climate change

•        Damage by impacts of climate change – rising sea levels, temperature changes and extreme weather events.

•        Understanding the impact of retrofit measures on heritage assets and selecting those which are beneficial or benign.

What policy changes are needed to make restoring historic buildings easier and less expensive?

1. Reduction of VAT on the repair of historic buildings.
2. Simpler, more readily accessible, grant regime for historic buildings
3. Support for training in conservation professional and craft skills

5. What policies would ensure the UK workforce has the right skills to maintain our heritage assets?

1. Ensuring Local Authorities have access to suitable conservation expertise.  There has been an extensive erosion of conservation expertise and capacity within Local Planning Authorities and heritage building owners have increasingly reported significant and unacceptable delays in obtaining consents and permissions.  Conservation Officers have an important role in protecting affecting the historic environment. In 2020 the IHBC found that 6% of Local Authorities now have no access to conservation advice.  A loss of 48.7% of conservation provision in Local Planning Authorities across England since 2009 has had a devastating effect on these authorities and some may be no longer even able to carry out even their statutory conservation duties.
2. Ensuring the use of conservation accredited specialists to work on historic buildings. 
3. Develop and protect historic building craft skills.  General Construction Industry Training must also include work on Traditional Buildings. 
4. Promote heritage careers

Detailed evidence of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation

1.  What are the most significant challenges facing owners and operators of built heritage assets, and how are they affecting what those sites can offer

1. Lack of a sector skills and workforce capacity in conservation both on practical and professional levels
2. Increasing cost of living and costs of basic utilities squeezes funds available for maintenance of the heritage asset
3. Increasing maintenance costs
4. Declining grant funds
5. Declining visitor numbers for those open to the public, also an impact of the cost-of-living crisis
6. Climate change
• Understanding the impact of all types of retrofit measures on heritage assets and selecting those which are beneficial or benign not those which can have a negative impact.  Poorly designed retrofit can harm historic buildings. This can cause damage to the building fabric which may sometimes be permanent. 
• Damage to heritage assets by impacts of climate change such as flood, rainwater and wind

What interventions are needed to prevent the managed decline of heritage assets on publicly-owned land?

1. Employ creative conservation skills to secure an economic future for the asset including developing a heritage management plan and programme of phased repairs.
2. Ensure strategic planning and long-term vision from government, national and local and other public agencies.
3. Provide training and education for conservation professionals to ensure an adequate supply of craft and professional skills to maintain and enhance the assets.
4. Prioritise sufficient long-term budget funds to enable continuous and reliable support. 
5. Generate local interest and volunteer involvement in retaining and improving the asset for the future
6. Balance preservation with creative managed change for a sustainable future
7. Consider low-cost asset transfer to the right public benefit owner rather than holding the land with the original owner through inertia with suitable safeguards in the sale contract
8. Consider establishing partnerships with other public organisations or with private bodies.

What can the Government do to make it easier for communities or local businesses to take ownership of historic buildings?

1. Make specialist conservation advice available

a.     Make historic building advice available to community groups both

•        By ensuring local authorities have sufficient specialist advice which is made freely available and  

•        By offering grants or subsidies for engaging private consultant conservation professionals.

b.     Offer funding for feasibility studies and other developmental work to help community groups decide on the potential benefit, risk and outcome of taking on the historic building

2. Engagement and promotion

a.      Provide basic training in historic building conservation for community groups and their members.  Communities require both enabling support and up-skilling of key volunteers, responsible for managing heritage projects or leading in neighbourhood planning.

b.      Promote exemplar schemes to enable and motivate local communities to take on historic buildings

c.      Assist communities in developing organisations. focused on their local heritage, with strong leadership and sound business planning for groups

3. Grants, subsidies and direct payments

a.      Provide direct investment by government in heritage projects or projects which enable the use or restoration of heritage assets by improving infrastructure or access.

b.      Support local trusts and community groups to buy and restore historic buildings for community benefit

c.      Support building preservation trust revolving funds to acquire, restore and resell restored buildings

d.      Encourage the use of modern community digital fundraising methods such as Crowdfunding

e.      Implement a community benefit scheme focused on supporting historic buildings from a percentage share of gross revenue of the new power generation developments such as windfarms and solar farms. should be paid to community benefit funds and increase the number of communities around new windfarm developments which receive shares of community benefit funds, to limit the wealth disparity amongst rural communities. 

f.       Provide grants or cost-effective loans to help community groups acquire, restore, reuse and maintain historic buildings.

g.      Consider reducing VAT on the repair of historic buildings and other building refurbishment. The current imposition of VAT on repairs works and not on new build is a significant barrier to investment, can make projects unviable especially in areas of that need investment most.  Removal of VAT on repairs would encourage the repair and reuse of historic buildings. 

4. Acquisition of heritage assets

a.      Encourage active partnerships between public bodies, private companies and local community groups

b.      Streamline and simplify the processes for asset transfer for historic buildings to community ownership.

c.      Encourage the use of ‘back-to-back’ acquisition/disposal arrangements

2. How effective are the current funding and finance models for built heritage?

1. Government funding and tax incentives

a.     Direct investment.  There are significant geographical differences in economics across the country. In high growth areas there is inflation of land and property prices whilst areas with viability challenges continue to decline.  Funding programmes should be focused on those areas with viability challenges.  Allocating money in high growth areas is more likely to increase land and property prices.  Many grant processes are onerous, time consuming and can delay projects. 

b.     Tax incentives.

• The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme is due to expire in March 2025 and with no commitment to its continuation or any statement being made by government on its extension the uncertainty on the future of this important funding source.  The scheme has for twenty years allowed listed places of worship of all faiths, and in all UK countries, to reclaim VAT on repairs. The scheme has helped keep places of worship open and in use so preserving the built heritage whilst also helping local communities, providing community space, activities for all ages and encouraging volunteering.  If the Government were not to renew the Scheme the additional 20% that would need to be raised to repair Places of Worship may be enough for many of these to be forced to close, loosing community facilities and risking the future of the historic building itself.
• IHBC encourage Government to consider reducing VAT on the repair of buildings especially historic and Listed Buildings. The current imposition of VAT on repairs works in favour of new build and greenfield development. Removal of VAT on repairs would encourage the repair and reuse of town centre buildings. Consider reducing VAT on the repair of historic buildings and other building refurbishment. The current imposition of VAT on repairs works and not on new build is a significant barrier to investment, can make projects unviable especially in areas of that need investment most.  Removal of VAT on repairs would encourage the repair and reuse of historic buildings. 

2. Private investment

a.     Property owner or developer funding. The geographical differences in economics across the country mean that private investment is less likely to be focused in areas with viability challenges. 

b.     Crowdfunding & sponsorship.  Crowdfunding often supports smaller heritage projects or specific aspects of larger projects whilst also involving the public and raising awareness of heritage.  It attracts different types of investors looking for social outcome returns rather than just financial profit but it is more difficult to access as it is hard to put a value on social outcomes.

3. Community interest funding

a.     Building Preservation Trusts and other mission-driven funding.  Organisations with a strong preservation ethos, less commercial drive and a commitment to public benefit which ensures conservation standards and philosophical integrity in projects is given equal weight as profit.

b.     Community groups. Community-driven smaller projects can access different funding sources than larger commercial projects.  While effective for smaller projects it may not be a reliable method for funding large-scale or long-term projects.

What should long-term public funding for the sector look like?

1. Guaranteed long term funding should be the aim in all public funding. Uncertainty like that currently being experienced with the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme places uncertainty on the funding package, the viability of a project or even the future of the building.  Political changes are clearly a cause of change but consistency where possible give assurance to the community, owners, businesses and investors.
2. Focus. Funding programmes should be focused on
• Heritage at risk
• Those areas with low viability rather than high growth
• Hard to maintain assets of high significance

3. What role does built heritage play in the regeneration of local areas and in contributing to economic growth and community identity?

1. Heritage-led economic development and regeneration has transformed many town centres and high streets, peripheral commercial and industrial areas.
2. Many city and town centres and high streets have designated historic environments. This can make them more attractive and can give them a competitive advantage. It is important to build on this, but care should be taken to ensure that any incentives will allow for the variation in local circumstances to be taken into account rather than imposing requirements which may not apply to all circumstances
3. A renewed focus on heritage-led regeneration in historic areas will help high streets. Funding area grant schemes would support investment, improve the appearance of buildings especially shopfronts and make upper floors more viable. Such interventions are sustainable and have long term benefits for relatively small investment.
4. This successful approach to town centres taken in heritage-led regeneration over recent years could also be applied as a methodology to the improvement of local areas where the heritage is less well acknowledged. Many economic improvement and regeneration schemes caried out in town centres and high streets without expert design advice and not concentrating on the historic structure result in schemes not of sufficient quality, with poor quality improvements, or focused enough, without specific focus on areas or groups of buildings. IHBC members have experience in working on grant schemes and delivering a lively mixed-use economy within a high-quality environment.
5. The creative re-use of historic buildings in areas that are economically depressed retains the historic character of buildings but also serves as an anchor for the area in attracting investment and new businesses to the area. A historic building is often unique and distinctive and gives the area its own character and identity.
6. Small independent businesses and innovative creative industries often operate in vibrant historic areas on the edges of larger towns and cities where the rent is more affordable and the character of the area distinct and defined
7. Restoring and maintaining historic buildings helps social cohesion, ownership, community pride and maintains local character.
8. Heritage tourism makes a major contribution to the economy.  
9. Conservation projects not only generate direct employment but can also help maintain traditional craft skills.
10. The community values and economic contribution of heritage are set out in more detail in Chapter 2 of Conservation Professional Practice Principles, published by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, Historic Towns and Villages Forum and Civic Voice (2017)[2]

How can heritage buildings be supported to increase energy efficiency and contribute to the Government’s net zero targets?

1. Conservation of the historic built environment is an inherently sustainable activity.
2. The historic built environment is a non-renewable resource and securing its long-term survival is an essential component of sustainable development.
3. Historic buildings contain large amounts of embodied energy and carbon. Further energy and carbon release is required to destroy them and construct replacements, therefore re-use of both buildings and places is desirable in principle. This does not mean that all old buildings and areas have to be kept. Judgements on retention need to balance architectural and historic significance against any wider benefits that might arise from replacement and redevelopment.
4. Most historic buildings are old, and the majority have outlived the design life of modern buildings. The longer buildings can survive, the greater the contribution of their embodied energy to sustainability. Traditional building materials such as brick and stone tend to be very durable and their appearance often improves with age. Modern materials tend to be less durable and their appearance often degrades with age.
5. Maintenance and repair are fundamental to longevity. Poor maintenance not only hastens the demise of buildings, it also makes them less comfortable and causes users to consume more energy, for example to combat draughty windows and walls made damp by blocked gutters or leaking roofs. Repair is a fundamental consideration in improving energy efficiency.
6. Buildings of traditional construction may not naturally perform as well as well-designed modern buildings in terms of such matters as energy efficiency. However, there is often scope to improve their performance, through appropriate repairs and adaptations conceived with sensitivity and understanding. Provided alterations to historic buildings consider the buildings holistically, taking account of functional performance, historic fabric, architectural issues such as character and appearance, and the need to optimise medium to long term performance, they can usually be made more energy efficient.
7. Traditionally constructed historic buildings have the potential to contribute to a sustainable future, provided they are treated with respect. Many will offer scope for adaptation to enhance performance. Where retrofit adaptations would result in a degree of harm to architectural and historic value, a balanced judgement can be taken, taking account of the relative significance of the building and its contribution to environmental quality.
8. There have been well-documented failures in retrofit where a ‘Whole House’ approach has not been used; in these cases, moisture has built up, fabric has been damaged, air quality has been reduced, and there have been impacts on health.
9. Historic buildings cannot always accommodate all forms of renewable energy sources. However, provided the type and location of any renewable energy feature is carefully considered, there is often scope to introduce such measures where they can be installed in a reversible manner and without causing material harm to heritage significance.
10. Supporting skilled and appropriate care, repair, maintenance and suitable adaptation of the historic environment to facilitate long-term use, is a carbon management strategy that brings unique benefits to society.
11. Positive action for reuse and regeneration of existing buildings rather than demolition for redevelopment is both sustainable and supports community character and identity. Local Authorities should be encouraged to use their powers on vacant and derelict buildings especially listed buildings and unlisted buildings in conservation areas.
12. The reuse of existing empty homes and vacant space above shops is a priority in the successful regeneration of town centres. A substantial contribution can be made to net zero targets by the re-use, rather than demolition of existing buildings, retaining the embodied energy of existing buildings.

4. What are the financial, regulatory and practical barriers to preserving built heritage?

1. Financial barriers

a.     Increased costs.  Recent years have seen increasing costs all materials and especially of conservation work to suitable standard, the use of specialist materials, and employing professional and craft skills.

b.     VAT disincentive prioritises new build and replacement over repair and preservation.  The current imposition of VAT on repairs works is a significant barrier to investment.  Removal of VAT on repairs would encourage the repair and reuse of historic buildings. 

c.      Decreasing funding opportunities. 

2. Regulatory barriers

a.     Permitted development relaxations

• The newer permitted development powers introduced in High Streets in recent years have, evidence suggests, resulted in poor quality housing and inappropriate alterations.  For example the recent E Use Class, allowing ground floor units in high streets to change to uses not open to the public, works against the vibrancy of high streets and causes dead spots. The changes to permitted development rights have made many town centres vulnerable to rapid and harmful changes.
• The historic character within our conservation areas which is so important to the economy and to people’s quality of life and well-being is threatened by poor quality or unsympathetic developments and alterations.
• Each Conservation Area is unique in character and appearance and are characterised by the use and activity of the are not just by the architectural design of the buildings within it. Allowing ground floor units in high streets to change to uses not open to the public works against the vibrancy of high streets and causes dead spots. Permitted development to allow ground floor units to change to dwellings is further exacerbating that damage to high streets. This undermines policies in local plans and neighbourhood plans for most high streets which include policies to ensure that ground floor units remain in town centre uses (retail, hospitality, cultural uses, community facilities, etc.)
• The change of town centre buildings to closed uses and residential does not support the future of town centres, it causes harm to their character, diversity and economic viability. The unchecked introduction of residential uses into commercial areas can further compromise existing commercial uses, especially those associated with the night economy.
• Poor quality homes and living environments are being created as a result of these permitted development rights. Permitted conversion of office to residential conversions has already created poor quality residential environments.  Permitted development gives more opportunities unprincipled developers and landlords to create poor quality housing. Residential values often exceed the value of other uses and this readily available change to a more profitable use, may outprice local town centre commercial uses, making them no longer viable. Julia Park of Levitt Bernstein architects published a hard-hitting report on the damaging effects of Permitted Development in 2019 with specific examples which was before the latest relaxations[3].

b.     Conservation Area permitted development

• Conservation Area designation alone does not restrict most permitted development. Domestic property in Conservation Areas still has a considerable amount of permitted development rights. The Conservation Area is the historic area to which people relate, in which they live, work and play and where they want to see clear, logical and easily understood controls.
• Despite this importance the Conservation Area has become the Cinderella of the historic environment. Members of the public are concerned by what they consider to be harmful alterations to buildings in Conservation Areas, often being carried out by their neighbours. They expect designation to mean something and they are surprised to hear that Conservation Areas offer such weak protection with permitted development rights without additional Article 4 controls. What residents, property owners, businesses and even those set to destroy buildings need is simplicity and consistency. But there are variations in controls from area to area, and even street to street. The public do not understand Article 4 and they are complex, time consuming and highly political to impose. There is a pressing need to make Conservation Areas simpler, more consistent, more open, and understandable. There is a need for Conservation Area designations to give the kind of protection expected by the public.
• The designation of a Conservation Area should remove certain kinds of permitted development as a matter of course, without the need for additional designations. Without such a fundamental reform the future of large parts of our historic environment is jeopardised and subjected to further incremental destruction. An integrated approach is needed, combining designation, definition of permitted development, character analysis and pro-active management in a one-stage process.

c.      Local Government skills and capacity

• The important role of Local Government in the protection of the historic environment and promotion of good design are impaired by lack of specialist capacity in Local Authorities.  Local Authorities should be required to provide and maintain appropriate staffing capacity in heritage and design.  Sections 16, 66 and 72 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 impose statutory duties regarding heritage and adequate skilled capacity is needed to enable Local Authorities to carry out their statutory duties.   The lack of appropriate conservation skills and experience in many authorities is a serious concern. 

3. Practical Barriers - Climate change

a.   Damage by impacts of climate change – rising sea levels, temperature changes and extreme weather events (flood, rainwater, wind etc)

b.   Understanding the impact of all types of retrofit measures on heritage assets and selecting those which are beneficial or benign not those which can have a negative impact.  Poorly designed can harm historic buildings harmed and prevent traditional buildings from breathing. This can damage the building fabric sometimes permanently. 

What policy changes are needed to make restoring historic buildings easier and less expensive?

1. Reduction of VAT on the repair of historic buildings. The current imposition of VAT on repairs works in favour of new build. Removal of VAT on repairs would encourage the repair and reuse of historic buildings.
2. Simpler more readily accessible grant regime for historic buildings of all levels of significance.
3. Greater support for training in both conservation professional and craft skills for historic buildings.

5. What policies would ensure the UK workforce has the right skills to maintain our heritage assets?

1. Ensuring Local Authorities have access to suitable conservation expertise

a.     The IHBC, and others within the heritage sector, have long been concerned at the extensive erosion of conservation expertise and capacity within Local Planning Authorities over the last twenty years. Heritage building owners have increasingly reported significant and unacceptable delays in obtaining consents and permissions.

b.     Conservation Officers have an important role in protecting affecting the historic environment. In 2020 the IHBC analysed and compared Local Authority conservation capacity in England with that from 2006, 2009 and 2018. It found that 6% of Local Authorities now have no access to conservation advice and many others having just part time access to advice this lack of advice exposes the nation’s heritage to the real risk of harm and makes the aims of obtaining the advice needed for these documents to work successfully very difficult. A loss of 48.7% of conservation provision in Local Planning Authorities across England since 2009 has had a devastating effect on these authorities and some may be no longer even able to carry out even their statutory conservation duties.

c.      Under capacity is causing unacceptably long delays in getting Listed Building Consents and planning permissions for heritage assets from Local Planning Authorities to the frustration of the public and consequent lost opportunities and economic loss to the country.

2. Ensuring the use of conservation accredited specialists to work on historic buildings

a.       Accreditation in the built and historic environment sector is generally specific to a single core profession such as the RIBA Conservation Register for architects and ICE Conservation Accreditation, CIAT Conservation Register for Architectural Technologists or the Register of Engineers for engineers. IHBC accreditation differs from more familiar conservation specialisms in traditional disciplines in that it operates primarily by regulating both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary professional practice in conservation.

b.       The care of the historic and built environment is especially important and should be protected by using the skills of those with professional accreditation and could be additionally protected by professional accreditation which is regulated. Our historic environment is a precious and finite resource. Good maintenance and repair of historic buildings is fundamental to their preservation.

c.        Important buildings are recognised through Listing statutory protection and formal consent is required for their demolition, alteration or extension. When repairs and alterations to historic buildings are necessary, the correct skills are vital to their protection they need to be designed, promoted, specified and controlled by professionals with special conservation skills.

d.       Successful conservation depends on a combination of academic training, practical experience and insight and accreditation in conservation is based on evidence to show that these requirements have been achieved. Using accredited conservation advice will help properly understand, manage and care for buildings and places.

e.       The evaluation of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary skills available through the IHBC’s evaluation system provides a possible model for this accreditation as there is no other recognised single accreditation in Britain for conservation professionals. Full Membership of the IHBC confirms that an individual has attained a balance and level of skills, knowledge, experience and understanding to advise on and, where suitably skilled, to carry out professional operations in the historic and built environment.  With no comparable model within the sector ours is the only such multidisciplinary model in operation.

f.         Like professionals working on all buildings, especially where there is potential risk if carried out incorrectly, it may be more appropriate for those working with historic buildings and areas specifically to be a regulated profession. This would ensure a legal requirement to handle our heritage with the appropriate knowledge and training.

3. Develop and protect historic building craft skills

a.        General Construction Industry Training must also include work on Traditional Buildings.  Approximately 50% of construction work involves repairs or alterations to the existing building stock. Construction industry training, at both professional and craft/trade levels, relates almost exclusively to new work. The skills shortages in the Construction Industry are compounded by the lack of training in work on traditional buildings, including historic buildings.

4. Promote heritage careers

a.        Launch school and university campaigns to promote the value of careers in conservation and heritage to attract more young people to the heritage sector.

The Institute of Historic Building Conservation

Website: https://ihbc.org.uk

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