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The positive impact of the historic environment on your health

Continuing our series to mark 10 years of Heritage and Townscape at Turley, Hannah Cates explains why her role as Senior Consultant is rewarding, reflecting on the positive impact that the historic environment can have on wellbeing.

Outside of project work, one of the most rewarding aspects of my last four years at Turley has been my involvement with the company’s Wellbeing and Resilience initiative. Working with co-owners (our employees) in our London office and more widely across our Heritage and Townscape team, my role includes advocating for healthy lifestyles and positive mental health. It is, therefore, no surprise to me that ‘wellbeing’ or ‘wellness’ are now buzzwords in many industries, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effect it has had on everyone’s lives.

Within the heritage sector, there is increasing awareness of the importance of good health and wellbeing and how heritage can support this. Recent reports by Historic England, the National Trust and the Heritage Alliance have focused on this, considering the impact heritage can have on people’s lives and the economy more widely. Historic England’s research found that engaging with or living near heritage is associated with higher life satisfaction and quality of life, whilst the National Trust published findings that demonstrated a link between having a deep-rooted emotional connection to a place (natural heritage / urban locations or specific building) and having a better sense of wellbeing. The Heritage Alliance in their research concluded:

"Heritage can and must be central to planning proposals in the historic environment – it is not just about good design, quality environments and vibrant green spaces – but we should also ensure that it is easily accessible to as wide an audience as possible – boosting wellbeing for all." ^[1]

In this sense, accessibility to heritage not only means physically accessible, but also the intangible aspects of heritage that can sometimes be harder to access.

A key part of my role is to understand the significance of our historic buildings and places, and to articulate this significance to those involved in proposals for change in the historic environment, from architects and clients to decision-makers in the planning process in order to inform and shape the design process. Working alongside design teams, I have provided advice on many projects that have placed an emphasis on celebrating the history of the site. The refurbishment of the College Bar at King’s College Cambridge, located within a grade I listed building, saw the sensitive overhaul of the space for a variety of social uses, with the design centred on reinstating or revealing historic features and new high-quality design that reflected the historic character of the space. Another recently approved scheme that I provided support for comprised a proposed residential development within the grounds of an 18th century country house, Oakley Hall in Hampshire. The scheme was designed on the concept of a traditional estate village, drawing inspiration from how this country house would have once formed the focal point of the local economy. Critical to the success of these schemes has been putting heritage, or the interest of a place, at the heart of the developments. As findings have shown, this can have a hugely positive impact on those who will experience them.

Heritage designations, including conservation areas, listed buildings and other assets, should not be considered to restrict or limit development. Conservation is defined in the NPPF as the process of maintaining and managing change to a heritage asset in a way that sustains and, where appropriate, enhances its significance. It is not a process that should prevent change. Heritage can, and should, be celebrated for the positive contribution it can have in influencing new design schemes and ultimately enriching the lives of those who experience it.

For more information on the work of our Heritage and Townscape service, please contact a member of the team.

18 January 2021

[1] The Heritage Alliance: Heritage, Health and Wellbeing, 2020