Historic England (HE) has updated its recent statement on contested heritage.
Historic England writes:
England has a very rich but complex history. Our buildings, monuments and places sometimes bring us face to face with parts of our history that are painful, or shameful by today’s standards. We recognise that there are historic statues and sites which have become symbols of injustice and a source of great pain for many people.
We have been working on the subject of contested heritage for some time, including through our recent Immortalised season. We believe the best way to approach statues and sites which have become contested is not to remove them but to provide thoughtful, long-lasting and powerful reinterpretation, which keeps the structure’s physical context but can add new layers of meaning, allowing us all to develop a deeper understanding of our often difficult past.
When challenging subjects like this arise we think it’s important to open up the conversation. We would welcome open discussions with local councils and communities about these issues.
Contested Heritage in Listed Building Decisions
Historic England advises central government on matters including the listing and de-listing (designation and de-designation) of buildings and advises local government on heritage applications in the planning system such as those for listed building consent.
We work within the planning system in relation to sites of contested heritage in the same way as we would for other sites. We are of course mindful that the emphasis of the narrative about the person, event or place may have changed, as other circumstances will have changed since it was first erected, such as its setting or its function.
You can read our checklist to help local authorities to deal with contested heritage listed building decisions.
Ultimately, it is for the planning authority as decision-maker to weigh the harm against the public benefit, especially given that some of those benefits are likely to range beyond heritage issues. Local authorities will also deal with locally listed and other non-nationally designated heritage assets and in these cases Historic England has no statutory role.
Historic England’s Conservation Principles provide an overarching approach to how we advise on applications for listing and for alteration and/or removal. Our Planning Charter sets out when and how we engage in specific cases.
