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Successor Bodies to English Heritage Set Out Programme for the Years Ahead

The restoration of one of London's greatest Art Deco mansions, a £52m conservation programme for many of the country's most important historic sites, a new project that invites the public to add information to the official "list" of listed buildings, and a definitive study of the Staffordshire Hoard were among the highlights announced yesterday (Thursday 26th February 2016) at the Chapter House in Westminster Abbey as the two successor bodies to English Heritage set out their plans for the years ahead.

From 1 April, English Heritage will separate into two organisations:

• Historic England, will be the new name for the public body that champions and protects England's historic environment, everything from prehistoric remains to post-war office buildings, and
• The English Heritage Trust, a new independent charity, retaining the name English Heritage, will look after - on behalf of the nation - the National Heritage Collection, consisting of more than 400 historic sites across England including Stonehenge, Dover Castle and some of the best preserved parts of Hadrian's Wall.

The new English Heritage charity will use a Government investment of almost £80m to bring and keep the story of England alive through a major programme of interpretation, presentation and conservation. This will allow the stories of individual properties to be fully told and will help the new charity towards self-funding status. English Heritage already engages with over 10 million people each year.

Historic England will champion the historic environment all around us. It will provide expert advice, promote constructive conservation, carry out research and give guidance and grants to everyone from local communities to national policymakers, from owners of listed and older homes to volunteers saving a building at risk. Historic England will also licence the new English Heritage charity to look after the sites in the National Heritage Collection and appoint trustees to the charity's board.

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