Heritage Now #10

FROM THE SECTOR

HB&P casework impact report

During the early part of 2024, a group of students from Worcester Polytechnic University analysed casework data, collected over the last decade or so, to establish the impact of our role as a statu tory consultee. The work included interviewing members and trustees, as well as scrutinising past annual reports and casework data collected by our Joint Consultation Hub. The aim of this work was to show what HB&P has achieved in the past and how we can improve our services in the future. As a national amenity society, our key role in the planning system is to provide advice to local plan ning authorities and diocese advisory committees (DAC). On average, 80% of the cases in England are secular, though in Wales, nearly 40% are ec clesiastical, which reflects the number of church redundancies and change of use applications we assess. 70% of our casework is responding to listed building consent applications, with the other 30% mainly being advice relating to DAC cases, plan ning and listing/delisting. On average, 75% of our casework relates to Grade II listed buildings, highlighting the importance of the national amenity societies involvement now that Historic England mainly focus on Grade I and II* cases. The next highest category relates to development in conservation areas. Domestic buildings make up nearly half our casework, with commercial and ecclesiastical buildings being the next largest building types. The heat map shows HB&P does the most case work in Wales, the north west, and south west re gions. This partly reflects the distribution of listed buildings, but also our efforts to work across of the regions and in places where our advice is most needed. In 2023/24, 70.2% of our casework responses were to provide advice seeking additional supporting information or recommending amendments to a scheme to make them acceptable. Only 21.5% cases resulted in an outright objection. Of the cases that had been determined by the end of the reporting period, 58% of resulted in a positive outcome (addressed all HB&P’s com ments) or slightly positive (addressed some of our comments). 15% were considered neutral and

only 27% were approved against our recom mendation. This included our objections to the alterations to the Grade I Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery; and the footbridge through the roof of Darlington’s Grade II* station, cases we have covered in earlier editions of Heritage Now . Overall, the assessment found we offer good value for money to our funders, in terms of the distribu tion and range of casework and the amendments and outcomes achieved as a result of our advice.

TOP: Heatmap showing regional casework distribution casework FY2023-24 BOTTOM: Chart showing casework outcomes to our advice (2023/24)

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HISTORIC BUILDINGS & PLACES