Historic England (HE) is to survey residential listed building owners as part of the 2015 Heritage Counts initiative, looking at the profile and attitudes of owners, as well as any issues faced in maintenance and awareness of listed building issues, with the survey programme jointly led by the architectural practice of IHBC Northern Ireland Branch member Alistair Coey.
Historic England writes:
As part of Heritage Counts 2015, Historic England has commissioned a survey of listed residential property owners on behalf of the Historic Environment Forum. Following a competitive tendering process in January/ February 2015, Alastair Coey Architects and ECORYS (previously Ecotec) were appointed to undertake the survey. The survey closes on Monday 21 September.
The survey has four key objectives and the survey questions are formed around these four objectives:
- Profiles of the listed properties and owners:
The survey will collect information on the characteristics of the listed properties and their owners. This will give us useful profile evidence. It is also required to validate the survey sample and we will use it to test and analyse the survey results. For example, are there particular groups of people affected by different types of issues or who behave in particular ways?
- Understanding the drivers and barriers for repair and maintenance:
The survey will pose questions about the frequency and type of work undertaken in the past. Owners’ experiences and perceptions of the planning process, repairs and maintenance and their access to specialist workers/ materials will be examined. The aim is to identify any barriers as well as examine specific issues affecting different types of owner/ property.
- Understanding attitudes:
Understanding the value owners place on owning a listed building is also explored in the survey. The hypothesis is that attitude towards owning a heritage asset can explain behaviours and approaches to maintaining a listed property.
- Identifying levels of awareness and knowledge:
The survey will pose questions about owners’ familiarity with listed building consent requirements and processes; engagement with heritage organisations; and access to information and guidance. This will identify levels of awareness amongst different types of owners, the types of information demanded and whether there are specific gaps.
