Historic England are the government’s official adviser on heritage, and the de facto leaders of the whole sector. Their advice forms the basis for government action, which makes the Club’s efforts to engage with them extremely important.

Since the new year, the Club have been making a particular effort to form closer ties with Historic England and ensure that owners are included in their decision making. As individual private owners are responsible for over 90% of listed buildings, they are by far the biggest stakeholders in the sector and this should be reflected more in Historic England’s work and priorities.

We have made particular efforts to work with HE on issues like energy efficiency, which has become a priority for them in the past year. We believe that getting owners directly involved in these discussions is the only way to ensure that your needs are supported with guidance and better regulations.