Published Paper Details:

Historic assets create a focal point that people can relate to their past and are familiar with - giving a sense of place. Our built heritage represents the very best of our past. It also provides a huge resource that can play an important role in the future of our towns, cities and rural areas in terms of the stimulus provided to regeneration and the promotion of sustainable development. Evidence from across the country demonstrates that 'Heritage Works' is a valuable asset that has an important role to play as a catalyst for regeneration, redevelopment, rehabilitation, revitalization. Working with heritage assets brings a unique set of issues to the development process, such as understanding the special conservation, planning, funding and construction matters associated with them. The process also requires specialist knowledge, where expertise in any of these areas is lacking, projects can fail. The study has concentrated on listing buildings, as these heritage assets are most commonly associated with regeneration projects. Heritage assets are a key component of sustainable development. The re-use of such assets can be used to boost local economies, attract investment, highlight local distinctiveness and add value to neighbouring properties.