Designated Assets, Protected Areas and the Built Environment

The National Heritage List for England

The National Heritage List for England is the official record of nationally designated heritage assets in England.

The number of entries on 'the List' increased slightly from 401,032 in 2022 to 401,172 (+140) in 2023.

• There were 379,394 listed buildings recorded on 'the List' in 2023. Listed buildings are the largest category of nationally designated heritage assets. 24% of listed buildings are located in the South West region, 20% in the South East region and 15% in the east of England
• In 2023, 19,954 scheduled monuments were officially recorded on 'the List', with 488 additions since 2003. 35% of these are located in the South West region; 13% in Yorkshire and the Humber and the South East region
• 1,701 Registered Parks and Gardens are recorded on 'the List', with 23% located in the South East region, 18% in the South West region and 13% in the east of England
• Other assets officially recorded in 2023 include 47 registered battlefields, 57 protected historic wreck sites and 19 World Heritage Sites

Figure DES 1.1 – National Heritage List entries for England, 2023

Figure note: Click the dropdown menu or left and right arrows to see the data for different asset categories by region. Click the sections on the legend to add or remove this data.

Source: Historic England (Accessed: September 2023)

Figure DES 1.2 – Listed buildings on the National Heritage List for England from 2010-2023 and 2022-2023

Source: Historic England (Accessed: September 2023)

Conservation areas

Conservation areas are areas of special architectural or historical interest whose character and appearance are considered to be worth protecting or enhancing. They are designated against local and regional criteria and are not nationally designated, as is the case with listing.

• In 2023, there were 9,910 conservation areas in England

• Since 2019, Historic England has grouped conservation areas by its 6 administrative regions rather than Government Office Regions (GORs). This shows that 32% of conservation areas are located in London and the South East; 19% in the Midlands; 16% in the South West; 12% in both the North East and Yorkshire and the east of England; and 9% in the North West region. 1 conservation area overlaps the North West and Midlands regions

Figure DES 1.3 – Conservation areas in England, 2023

Source: Historic England

Historic areas and open spaces

National parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) are statutory designations which protect our countryside.

• In 2023, there were 1,265 thousand hectares of designated national parks (9.5% of England’s land coverage) and 1,931 thousand hectares of designated AONB (14.5% of England’s land coverage)
• In 2023, there were 364 thousand hectares of ancient woodland in England. (Ancient woodland is defined as land continuously wooded since 1600)
• Heritage coasts represent stretches of our most beautiful, undeveloped coastline, which are managed to conserve their natural beauty and, where appropriate, to improve accessibility for visitors. These are non-statutory landscapes and included 164 thousand hectares in 2023

Figure DES 1.4 – Designated countryside assets, 2023

Source: Natural England

Pre-1919 dwellings

The UK has the oldest housing stock in Europe, with 38% of homes dating from before 1946 (BRE, 2016). In England, 8.97 million homes (or 35%) were constructed before 1945, while 5.15 million homes (or 20%) predate 1919 [1].

There are more pre-1919 homes today than there were 10 years ago:

• There were 93,790 more pre-1919 dwellings in 2023 compared to 2012, according to the latest statistics from the Valuation Office Agency
• At first glance, this evidence appears counterintuitive. However, it is through the conversion of existing historic homes into multiple dwellings, and through the conversion of non-domestic historic assets into homes, that our historic buildings continue to rise. With investment, heritage assets are adaptable and can respond to evolving societal needs

Figure DES 1.5a – Pre-1919 residential buildings in England, 2014-2023

Figure note: Click the regions in the legend to add or remove this data.

Source: Valuation Office Agency

Figure DES 1.5b – Pre-1919 dwellings in England (% of regional residential stock), 2023

Source: Valuation Office Agency

Dataset

References

1. BRE, 2016. 'The cost of poor housing in the European Union'. (Accessed on 10.07.23)

Footnotes

1. The year 1919 is recognised as a watershed between traditional and modern construction methods, providing a useful definition that can be used to understand an area’s non-designated heritage. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) has identified a decline in the traditional skills required to maintain pre-1919 buildings, and Historic England is working with partners to address this need.