The Historic England (HE) Environmental Strategy Team is seeking input on threats to the historic environment, and potential opportunities, in a survey that will contribute to HE’s Heritage at Risk (HAR) Framework and the Climate Change Strategy, closing 15 February and supported by linked online events.
… Call for Evidence will help shape our understanding of heritage at risk…
… will contribute to the developing Historic England Heritage at Risk Framework and the Climate Change Strategy…
HE writes:
Historic England is the Government’s statutory adviser on all matters relating to the historic environment in England. We are a non-departmental public body established under the National Heritage Act 1983 and sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). We champion and protect England’s historic places, providing expert advice to local planning authorities, developers, owners and communities to help ensure our historic environment is properly understood, enjoyed and cared for.
The Historic England Environmental Strategy Team is interested in hearing from the sector regarding threats to the historic environment as well as any potential future opportunities. We wish to understand from the sector how threats are being identified, any current action taken against threat, areas of future concern, and key priorities in addressing and responding to threat.
This Call for Evidence will help shape our understanding of heritage at risk, and its relationship with social, economic and environmental considerations. It will also inform our existing national and global work towards better conservation and enhancement of the historic environment.
We are gathering evidence on:
- What heritage organisations are currently doing to identify and manage risks and threats;
- How management plans or strategies are supporting de-risking heritage;
- The impacts of threats to heritage assets on social, economic and environmental prosperity;
- The implications of environmental degradation and climate change for the historic environment;
- The impact, effectiveness and efficiency of existing local and national actions to limit and reverse heritage at risk and promote the enhancement of the historic environment.
From this Call for Evidence, we aim to collect:
- A range of scenarios and examples for protecting and enhancing the historic environment focusing on current understandings, concerns and priorities;
- An exploration of a range of best practices, initiatives and interventions from the heritage sector to protect heritage assets against threats and improve their resilience;
- Recognition of the interactions between climate change mitigation and adaptation needs and opportunities
We are currently using the following definition for ‘threat’ from the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment 2017: “The potential for consequences where something of value is at stake and where the outcome is uncertain.”
The Call for Evidence will contribute to the developing Historic England Heritage at Risk Framework and the Climate Change Strategy. These projects are at an early stage and will be based on a thorough consideration of robust, relevant, up-to-date evidence, including anecdotal evidence.
We are running two webinars to gather further evidence to support these emerging pieces of work and develop a better understanding of sector priorities and needs in these areas.
Friday 5 February 2021 at 14:00: Understanding Threats to the Historic Environment: Discussion. Register here: https://historicengland.adobeconnect.com/eybad3nw2b0r/event/event_info.html
Friday 12 February 2021 at 14:00: Introducing the Historic England Climate Change Strategy. Register here: https://historicengland.adobeconnect.com/e56vbaelgsno/event/event_info.html
