Heritage Works for Housing aims to help tackle the national housing shortage by providing small and medium-sized developers with clear guidance on repurposing historic buildings for residential use, says the publisher, Historic England.
It claims that up to 670,000 homes could be created by repurposing existing historic buildings in England.
The publication sets out the benefits and challenges of transforming historic buildings into residential use, as well as providing step-by-step guidance at all stages of the process.
This includes advice on feasibility testing, stakeholder engagement, heritage appraisal, design development, building consent and ongoing maintenance.
Historic England chief executive Duncan Wilson said: “This report demonstrates how historic buildings can be part of the solution to the housing crisis. It is a timely and useful guide for developers who want to adapt historic buildings for new housing, showing that historic buildings can offer attractive and sustainable living spaces that meet the needs and aspirations of modern homebuyers, while retaining their heritage significance and special character.”
The report is available at: HistoricEngland.org.uk/HeritageWorksForHousing
