Heritage at Risk 2018

Today, Historic England published their 2018 Heritage at Risk Register highlighting the historic sites where they have ‘concerns’ over their condition and equally removing the structures and sites that they no longer have concerns about. A total of 242 entries were added to the list, including a Victorian museum, a former pumping station, a cutlery works and Grimsby’s Kasbah Conservation Area. While 318 have been removed from the list after being ‘saved’, including Holy Island off the coast of Northumberland, a smock mill in Suffolk, and a village lock up in Hounslow. As a result, there are now 5,106 entries on the Heritage at Risk Register, which is 94 less than in 2017.

This is good news for the historic environment as the Register is continuing its trend since 2015 of removing more sites than they add; a product of Historic England’s huge investment, totaling £9,888,723 in grants in 2018 alone. This comes as Historic England celebrate 20 years of the Heritage at Risk Register by announcing that over two-thirds of the entries on the 1998 Register have been saved – that’s over 1,290 buildings and monuments.

Heritage at Risk has an important contribution to make to local economic, social and environmental objectives too. The ‘Risky Business?’ report which we produced for Historic England in January this year showcases a series of 10 case studies which illustrate how removals from the Heritage at Risk register have contributed to ‘Good Growth’ in London, now supported by a dedicated policy within the draft London Plan.

Lichfields is currently helping deliver regeneration at a number of ‘at risk’ and complex historic sites. Look out for our upcoming blog on Lichfields’ work at Leeds General Infirmary which sets out an approach to simplifying the heritage issues with a complicated building.

Key statistics from the Heritage at Risk Register 2018 are:

• 242 entries added;
• 318 entries removed; and
• A total of 5,106 entries made up of: 
  • 1,489 buildings or structures
  • 911 places of worship
  • 2,151 archaeology entries (non-structural scheduled monuments),
  • 99 parks and gardens
  • 4 battlefields
  • 4 protected wrecks, and
  • 502 conservation areas.