08 Oct 2024
Place Services is investing £300,000 to enhance the Essex Historic Environment Record in a two-year project that will radically improve access to information on the heritage of the county for public benefit. The Historic Environment Record (HER) contains detailed information about archaeological finds and sites, monuments, historic buildings and landscapes across Essex. It is used to inform planning and other land management decisions, to support heritage-led regeneration, and for research, advancing knowledge and understanding of our past.
Our new team of Assistant Historic Environment Record Officers, with expert guidance from Alice Cattermole Heritage Consultancy, will systematically enhance over 80,000 existing records to a new standard issued by Historic England, the government’s advisory body on the historic environment. Historic England will also be giving financial support to the project, and in a major boost to individuals and community groups who want to explore the historic environment of their area, the team will be adding at least 20,000 new records ahead of the creation of a website bringing public access to the information.
Place Services’ Historic Environment Manager Tim Murphy said: ‘The maintenance of the Essex Historic Environment Record is now a statutory duty, reflecting its importance for planning and regeneration in the county, and as a valuable source of information for people interested in Essex’s rich heritage. As a result of this investment, decisions on housing growth, the location of new infrastructure and changes to land management across Essex will be informed and guided by the record, helping to ensure the sustainability of future development in the county’.
Photo: Alice Cattermole with our new team of Assistant Historic Environment Record Officers
(from right to left) Abi Milsom, Hannah Henderson and Jasmine Regan-Feldman
