How you can help protect local heritage assets on Lincolnshire’s coast

Heritage Lincolnshire is asking for the public’s help to find candidates for the List in Mablethorpe and Skegness. This will feed into research for the planned regeneration of the towns through the Government funded Town Deal.

The project is being delivered by Heritage Lincolnshire, a charitable trust founded in 1988, and Lincolnshire County Council is a partner in the project. There is also countywide support from local and unitary authorities covering the historic county of Lincolnshire, including North and North East Lincolnshire.

Some of the county’s most significant heritage assets are already protected by law through national designations such as Listed Buildings, Scheduled Monuments, as part of a Conservation Area or Registered Parks and Garden.

However, there are many more local heritage assets including historic buildings, landscapes, archaeological remains and structures, which although do not meet the strict designation criteria for national protection set out above, still have a special interest locally and shape local character.

These sites currently fall into a gap, often unrecognised, unrecorded and unprotected. Without recognition, there is a risk that these sites of local heritage interest may be missed within the planning system, leading to changes which may result in the loss of their special interest over time, or in some cases, their total destruction.

Local Listing aims to capture sites of local interest that merit consideration in the planning process. This is achieved through creating Local Lists of Heritage Assets which are held by Local Authorities. The list is then used as a planning tool to help recognise local heritage assets so that they can be considered in planning decisions.

Addition to a Local List does not add protection through law but, where planning permission is already required, it triggers consideration against heritage policies in Local Plans and the National Planning Policy Framework.

Lincolnshire Local Listing Campaign has worked closely with historic environment specialists across the county to develop a framework for Local Listing including a project website where members of the public can learn more about what Local Listing is, what it means for heritage assets and owners alike, and most importantly, allows them to make nominations of heritage assets for Local Listing.

To ensure that Local Listing is representative of local communities across the county, Heritage Lincolnshire is calling for members of the public, local community groups and local heritage and history groups to come together to create a list of heritage assets that they consider to be of special local interest in their area, telling them why it is significant to them before submitting their list to project staff and ultimately to the Local Authority covering that area.

Felix Mayle, conservation project officer for Heritage Lincolnshire said: “The project is an exciting opportunity to be a part of shaping the future of the historic environment in your area.

“Local Listing works best with community involvement, and we are really keen to hear from members of the public, local communities and groups about what they feel is important and deserving of some protection within the planning system.”

To find out more and make a nomination, visit https://local-heritage-list.org.uk/lincolnshire