What is a Historic Building Recording?
- Ailsa Bailey
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Historic Building Recordings are often required as a condition of planning permission or Listed Building Consent for development proposals affecting heritage assets. Learn more about what this scheme of work consists of, who it is carried out by, and when it might be required below.
What is a Historic Building Recording?
Historic Building Recording is a programme of research and recording aiding the preservation of the significance of a historic structure in record-form. It is most often composed of a written, drawn, and photographic record. It is defined by the Chartered Institute of Archaeologists as the following:
Archaeological building investigation and recording (ABIR) is a programme of work intended to establish the character, history, dating, form and archaeological development of a specified building, structure, or complex and its setting, including buried components, on land, in an inter-tidal zone or underwater.
The purpose of the work is to examine identified building(s) and their setting, in order to:
Compile a record of the building to enhance understandings of the structure for public and private dissemination.
Inform change to the asset – whether that be a long-term conservation management plan, imminent repair works, or a scheme of refurbishment / conversion.
Who can request a Historic Building Recording?
When concerning development proposals, Historic Building Recordings are most often requested by an allocated Case Officer within a Local Planning Authority during an active planning application. This is most often in direct response to recommendations delivered from the Conservation Officer on behalf of the Local Planning Authority. The Heritage Consultant preparing your Heritage Impact Assessment may also recommend a Historic Building Recording where sufficient heritage significance has been identified, and / or where historic fabric is proposed to be concealed or lost as part of the proposals. This applies to both designated and non-designated heritage assets alike. Your building does not have to be listed to warrant a Historic Building Recording.
To be considered policy-compliant, any given scheme must comply with the heritage policies contained with the National Planning Policy Framework (2024). These are outlined in Chapter 16 titled Conserving and Enhancing the Historic Environment. These policies are sometimes supplemented by more detailed guidance in the relevant Local Plan for the region, which must also be followed in order for the development proposals to be permitted. Some local authorities also hold their own internal standards for Historic Building Recording. However, the overarching NPPF specifically notes the following:
Local planning authorities should require developers to record and advance understanding of the significance of any heritage assets to be lost (wholly or in part) in a manner proportionate to their importance and the impact, and to make this evidence (and any archive generated) publicly accessible. However, the ability to record evidence of our past should not be a factor in deciding whether such loss should be permitted.
(MHCLG 2024, 218)
Who carries out a Historic Building Recording?
Regional planning authorities frequently request that archaeologists are appropriately accredited, including being a member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists who publish their own standard and guidance for Building Recording and are generally bound by a professional Code of Conduct. The archaeologist is expected to follow guidelines published by Historic England in their document titled Understanding Historic Buildings (2016), and any illustrations should follow their subsequent guidance on Drawing for Understanding (2016). It is normally required by the Local Planning Authority that a Written Scheme of Investigation be produced, which will outline the research objectives and methodology of analysis and recording, in addition to the resulting dissemination of the work. This document must be approved by the LPA prior to any works being undertaken, and will be analysed against the guidance documents mentioned above. It is therefore important that you use appropriately qualified archaeologists to avoid delays and additional costs to your project.
What level of recording is required?
Historic England has outlined four main levels of recording which have been widely adopted throughout the sector, in addition to a fifth option which simply comprises a photographic survey where no written analysis is deemed to be required. The four standard levels of recording comprise:
Level 1: Basic Visual Record
Level 2: Descriptive Record
Level 3: Analytical Record
Level 4: Comprehensive Analytical Record
The Local Planning Authority may sometimes request a specific level of recording as a condition of planning permission. Where this has not been specified, the archaeologist will propose an appropriate level of recording depending on the nature and significance of the asset, together with the aims of the project. The proposed level of recording will most often be outlined in detail within a Written Scheme of Investigation. For each level of recording, there are several approaches which you might take. This is due to the fact that Historic England guidelines allow for a degree of flexibility due to the inherent variations in the needs and complexities of each building and project. However, many argue that current standards are too vague as a result. For example, it is not usually specified whether sketched or measured plans might be required. Where a disproportionate level of recording has been conditioned by a Local Planning Authority, our team has successfully negotiated a variation of condition to propose more suitable levels of investigation.
What to Expect on the Day?
Provisions should be made to ensure your building has been appropriately cleared to ensure that both external and internal walls can be clearly recorded. Any personal belongings should be removed where possible, considering that these images will form part of a permanent, publicly-accessible site archive. In the prepared Written Scheme of Investigation, your archaeologist will seek to ensure that appropriate access is arranged across the site, including any strategies for hard-to-reach spaces. Equipment will be brought accordingly, such as pole tripods to capture images where access might not be permitted within buildings at first-floor level.
The type of work carried out on the day will vary according to each project, although will be clearly outlined in the prepared WSI. You can expect your archaeologist to take a series of pictures of the exterior and interior of the structure which will be logged on a photo register and often a photo location plan. They will also be undertaking a written record on site which may be dictated or written on proforma sheets. Additional drawing may also be required, including measured recording of specific features which may be undertaken using manual tape measures or modern laser distance measurers often referred to as a 'disto'. Photogrammetry may also be undertaken, which involves capturing a series of photographs which are stitched together by a computer software to produce a metrically-accurate image of a feature or entire building facade without any perspective distortion. Larger, more complex projects may even utilise laser scanners.
What Happens Next?
The results of the work will be compiled within a comprehensive report, and an image archive will also be prepared. The NPPF requires that the results of recording works must be made publicly-accessible, which consequently forms the final step in this process carried out by the nominated archaeologist before your condition can be discharged – including making use of online platforms such as OASIS and ADS. Specifically, the footnotes to item 218 in the NPPF dictate that:
Copies of evidence should be deposited with the relevant historic environment record, and any archives with a local museum or other public depository.
The team at Blue Willow Heritage are all appropriately accredited with the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and routinely carry out Historic Building Recordings as part of our work. If you have previously requested a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) from us, the desk-based research carried out as part of this initial report can be incorporated into the final Historic Building Recording report to ensure efficiency and competitive pricing. Whether we are following through onto the next stage of your project, or you are only just bringing us on board post-determination, get in touch for a quote today!
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