The Broadland Heritage at Risk pilot designed to identify grade II Listed buildings that are considered ‘at risk’ from decay, vandalism, misuse or collapse is progressing well. Broadland District Council and Ingham Pinnock Associates, who are managing the pilot, are delighted to have had a fantastic response from the public and have secured the support of 50 volunteers following a call for voluntary surveyors issued during February of this year.
The volunteers were invited to attend a training day held at the start of April where they were provided with an introduction to the Heritage at Risk programme being progressed by English Heritage, how to identify buildings at risk and how to undertake surveys. Following the training day, Iain Soden from IS Heritage Services, part of the professional team, provided a lecture for volunteers to thank them for their contribution.
John Ette, Heritage at Risk Principle for the East of England, said: “The pilot is providing a great opportunity for us to work with local volunteers and conservation staff to survey and better understand the condition of Broadland’s listed building. We look forward to seeing the results and what lessons can be learnt not only for Broadland, but nation’s precious historic buildings stock.”
Surveys of Listed buildings across Broadland are now being carried out by volunteers and the professional team. The surveys will be carried out from May to July and will help to provide useful information on the state of Listed buildings in the Broadland area.
Kate Pinnock, a Director from Ingham Pinnock Associates said: We had a fantastic response from the public to our call for volunteers who have all now received appropriate training and will be out surveying buildings in the next few days. We have been exceptionally pleased by the interest and enthusiasm shown by volunteers and building owners for identifying, supporting and preserving Broadland’s wealth of wonderful heritage buildings and look forward to collating all of the survey data during the summer.
For further information on the pilot scheme, contact Kate Pinnock on office@inghampinnock.com or Broadland Council on 01603 430569. You can also visit the project Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/BroadlandListedBuildingPilot) or sign up to a newsletter available on the following website www.inghampinnock.com.
Editor Notes:
“English Heritage has launched this ambitious programme to find out how the one major element of our heritage not already covered by the Heritage at Register – the nation’s Grade II listed buildings – can be assessed. Working with 19 pilot schemes across the country, understanding what makes these buildings at risk, would be a first step to securing their future.
There are some 345,000 Grade II buildings in England, accounting for 92% of all listed buildings. Beautiful, historic or architecturally special, they are the houses, cottages, shops, inns, offices, schools, town halls, libraries, farms, mills and other distinguished buildings that shape the character of our cities, towns and villages.
Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: “Grade II buildings are the bulk of the nation’s heritage treasury. When one of them is lost, it’s as though someone has rubbed out a bit of the past – something that made your street or your village special will have gone. 345,000 is not a large number in relation to all the buildings in England but it is too many for English Heritage to survey on its own which is why we’re working with Broadland District Council and Ingham Pinnock Associates to help us know more about why these buildings are at risk and how we can rescue them.”
