Suburbs

More than 8 out of 10 people in England live in suburban areas. Many of these areas are undergoing significant change; in some areas by infilling and intensification, in others through a struggle to regain former vibrancy. Change is inevitable in every suburb in the country – this is often positive and in many cases necessary to ensure that they continue to be successful and valued places. But it is important to remember that decisions taken at the local level, even ones of the smallest scale, have implications for the identity and distinctiveness of the surrounding area. Suburbs and the Historic Environment (see pdf link below) identifies the trends driving change in our historic suburbs in the early 21st century and looks at some examples of best practice by local authorities in positively managing that change. It also contains a ‘checklist’ of factors for local authorities to consider when planning for change in historic suburbs.

A companion document, The Heritage of Historic Suburbs (see pdf link below) sets out the history and evolution of the English suburb and outlines the context for the issues currently facing local planning authorities in relation to suburban areas.

More information on suburbs is available at English Heritage’s English Heritage’s HELM Suburbs suburbs page.

English Heritage sponsored the Museum of Domestic Design & Architecture (MoDA) to investigate on the history of suburban gardens and landscapes. An exhibition The suburban landscape. 200 years of gardens and gardening was held from June 2007 to February 2008. The museum also published a leaflet to accompany the exhibition and a bibliography is available to download from MoDA.