Houses are among our most important historic assets. Historic housing in all its forms, varieties and ages, helps to define an area’s sense of place and meaning; it forms a familiar part of local character and identity, and as a result is often valued by the local community.
Housing is often what makes a locality distinctive or even unique – characteristics that should be carefully considered when decisions on future development are being made.
Some 4.4 million houses, representing around 20% of the total stock, were built before 1919. Some of these have been designated as listed buildings or lie within conservation areas and are therefore protected by a range of planning controls, but the majority of these buildings do not receive any form of statutory protection. For example, 19th century terraced houses provide a number of distinctive national building types but due to their ubiquity relatively few are listed. They nevertheless play a central role in establishing local character in many English villages, towns and cities.
The adaptation and reuse of historic buildings is also environmentally sustainable, as the existing housing stock represents a huge investment in embodied environmental capital. Reuse also reduces the amount of energy and resources expended on new development and avoids high levels of waste that can be generated by construction projects.
Sometimes, it is only after a place has been altered that its value is realised. Development decisions, such as those affecting areas containing historic housing, need to be taken from a position of informed understanding of the historic environment in order to preserve local character and distinctiveness. This should form part of the overall analysis that lies behind the masterplanning and design process.
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
It is now compulsory for anyone selling a house to put together an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for potential home buyers, which should include recommendations for carrying out energy efficiency improvements.
English Heritage supports the Government’s aims to improve energy efficiency in existing buildings, and believes that most traditionally constructed homes are capable of improvement in this area. We have produced a series of guidance notes aimed at Home Inspectors and Energy Assessors, together with a new website designed specifically at the owners of such buildings to enable them to understand more about the implications of climate change and ways to save energy.
