Heritage

The purpose of this work was to provide a clearer understanding of some of the causes of delays in determination times for listed building consent applications, and to help clarify what steps could be taken to reduce delays. Our approach involved taking a sample of Listed Building Consent applications and analysing these into groups by determination time, with the aim of identifying characteristics associated with particularly short or long determination times. The final report described the results of the data analysis, set out conclusions drawn from this and provided options on possible ways of reducing delays. 

We provided a comprehensive review of the functioning and effectiveness of HES’s Buildings at Risk Register (BARR). The research involved a combination of desk research, internal and external stakeholder interviews, a user survey and follow-up depth interviews, and integrated analysis of data from the BARR and from listed building consent applications. This diverse evidence was drawn together to understand the level of currency, comprehensiveness, relevance and useability of the register. Comparator research was undertaken to consider related and alternative models for compiling and presenting information on building at risk. Our final report sets out detailed research findings and conclusions.  

We completed construction research for Historic England into heritage construction skills gaps and capacity to provide work-based training for the North of England’s construction sector (historic environment). A mixed-method approach spanned stakeholder interviews, an online survey and depth interviews with heritage employers. The findings have been used by Historic England to inform the design and roll out of a major new comprehensive training programme for historic building crafts.