As the first comprehensive analysis of how the UK’s historic buildings are used by businesses is published, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has launched Heritage Enterprise, a pioneering new funding programme designed to stimulate local economic growth by unlocking the commercial potential of unused historic buildings and sites.
HLF writes
Heritage Enterprise is being launched in conjunction with the publication of the first ever comprehensive analysis of how businesses across the UK use historic buildings. Based on research commissioned by HLF and English Heritage working with Oxford Economics and Colliers International, New ideas need old buildings has revealed the positive impact historic buildings have on the UK’s economy and their proven ability to contribute to growth.
The research shows that historic buildings and historic quarters of our major towns and cities are the very places where new ideas and new growth are most likely to happen. The key findings of the analysis demonstrate that in the places we surveyed, a commercial business based in a historic building generates more wealth than is the average for the UK economy as a whole, at £308,000 GVA per annum.
Key findings:
· Historic buildings in our major towns and cities have a high concentration of businesses linked to the creative and cultural sector and to the knowledge economy of professional services. These are the most productive sectors of the economy
· In the places we surveyed in England creative businesses are found much more frequently than they are across the economy as a whole. Creative sector businesses are 28% more likely to be found in these listed buildings, when compared to their frequency across the national economy as a whole
· In the places we surveyed, a commercial business based in a historic building generates more wealth than is the average for all commercial businesses across the UK, at £308,000 GVA per annum
· Listed buildings are highly attractive to creative industry start-ups. Over 60% of the creative and cultural businesses we surveyed had been established in the last three years
· Listed buildings are far more likely to be occupied by the type of independent non-branded business that give places a sense of authenticity and diversity
· Across the UK, the businesses based in listed buildings are highly productive and make an estimated annual contribution to UK GDP of £47billion
· Businesses based in listed buildings across the UK employ approximately 1.4m people
For the research entitled ‘New ideas need old buildings’ see: LINK
For Heritage Enterprise see: LINK
HLF News: LINK
