Constructive Conservation Creates Champions

New Publication Celebrates England’s 30 Best Heritage-led Development Schemes

Thirty of the 1,600 planning cases that English Heritage advises on each year have been championed as exemplary in a new English Heritage book, Shared Interest, launched Thursday 16th March. The successful and imaginative heritage-led schemes from developers, architects and agencies around the country highlight a new way of working which English Heritage calls "constructive conservation".

English Heritage's new approach, involving flexibility and good early dialogue, has resulted in many more schemes running smoothly and has demonstrated the benefit to both developers and conservationists of putting the historic environment at the heart of regeneration. The projects celebrated in the book include Royal William Yard in Plymouth, Explore@Bristol, Waterloo Pavilions in Blackburn, Millennium Place in Durham, The Forum Norwich, Speke Airport, Merseyside and the Bull Ring in Birmingham.

Speaking at the MIPIM international property conference in Cannes, Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: "The exemplary projects in this book show how the collaborative way of working that characterises English Heritage's modern approach to conservation, has been welcomed by the development sector.

"Greater pre-application consultation is resulting in more successful schemes and investors are seeing heritage as a positive asset. They are uniting the finest old and new architecture to create schemes that secure the future of our most valuable buildings and improve quality of life for the people who live and work nearby. "

Steven Bee, Director of Planning and Development for English Heritage, said: "Our approach to heritage protection is flexible and well-informed. Historic places are there to be used and a part of what makes them so interesting is their robustness. The best way of saving a historic building is to find a new use for it, so we help people enhance the significant parts of a building and adapt other parts. This approach not only strengthens financial viability, but provides the opportunity to add a further layer of heritage for the future, enhancing a historic building's public as well as private value."

J D Breakey, Architect's Practice Manager at Sheffield City Council, said, of the Botanical Gardens development in Sheffield: "The experience of working with English Heritage was very positive. They were a subtle guiding influence throughout. During the restoration process they were part of the team, as we were all working at the current limits of technical knowledge."

Paul Williams, Partner at Stanton Williams, said: "When the rationale is clear, it is my view that English Heritage will not only support but will encourage good contemporary design interventions within historic settings. Compton Verney was no exception."

Dave King, Director of Shed KM worked on the Collegiate, Liverpool. He said: "English Heritage was particularly helpful on this project. Not only did they make a grant towards its implementation, they also supported our ideas for combining the old building with thoroughly contemporary new ideas."

Robert Evans, Associate Director of Stephenson Bell and Project Architect for the Free Trade Hall development in Manchester said: "English Heritage was approachable and constructive from the outset of the design process and allowed a good working relationship to be established. Such consultation established broad principles and parameters for Stephenson Bell to work within."

Michael Taylor, Director of Hopkins Architects, involved in The Forum, Norwich, said: "English Heritage was very supportive. They understood our vision for this important civic site. The finished project remains very close to the original vision, and its appropriation by the people of Norfolk and Norwich as a popular landmark is a vindication of our earliest decisions."

Michael Squire for Squire and Partners said of the Chesham House development in London: "The restoration works to the front façade and the detailing of the new elevation evolved through discussion and negotiation with English Heritage, who provided positive support throughout the process. The completed building is an excellent example of how contemporary design interventions can bring to life, and return to beneficial use, a building which makes a significant contribution to London's heritage."

The publication Shared Interest is available in hard copy free from English Heritage Customer Services on 0870 333 1181.