The existing Hillingdon Local Plan sets out the council’s policy approach to:
- conserving and enhancing historic assets, including listed buildings, conservation areas, archaeological priority areas, areas of special local character, registered parks and gardens, ancient monuments and war memorials
- the role of heritage is to inspire new development with distinctive appearance and character
- how community facilities, including cultural uses (relating to recreation such as sport, performance, religion, art, music or food) are protected from loss, and where new community facilities may be developed.
Existing approach
Key policies include:
- Policies DMHB 1 to 9 protect heritage assets, including listed buildings and conservation areas, locally listed buildings, areas of special local character, registered historic parks, gardens and landscapes, and war memorials
- Policy DME 4 supports development of visitor attractions, subject to criteria
- Policy DMCI 1 protects existing community facilities, including cultural uses, and Policy DMCI 2 directs new cultural facilities to town centres.
Key challenges
Key challenges to support built historic heritage in Hillingdon are thought to include:
- protecting heritage assets, including preventing any incremental harm that could arise over time
- strengthening Hillingdon’s unique built heritage relating to industrial, transport, communication, educational, cultural, civic, retail, faith and technical infrastructure
- encouraging restoration of heritage assets at risk
- protecting locally significant views, particularly those which positively frame historic assets
- protecting valued cultural facilities where viable, such as public houses and theatres, from loss and developing new facilities to boost the cultural offer of Hillingdon.
What the new Local Plan could achieve
A key commitment of the council strategy is protecting Hillingdon's heritageand valued green spaces.
The Local Plan should set out a positive strategy for the conservation and enjoyment of the historic environment, as required by the NPPF (Chapter 16).
- The Local Plan should set out a positive, locally distinctive strategy for the conservation, enhancement and enjoyment of Hillingdon’s historic environment. This means identifying and responding to the borough’s specific heritage assets and characteristics, including designated and non-designated assets, conservation areas, archaeological interest and heritage at risk, and clearly articulating how these contribute to the spatial strategy, growth locations and place-making priorities.
- The Local Plan could also establish the key mechanisms and evidence needed to support this approach, such as maintaining an up-to-date historic environment record, preparing and reviewing conservation area appraisals and management plans, and identifying non-designated heritage assets through a local list. It can set expectations for proactive asset management, the reuse and enhancement of heritage assets, and the integration of heritage considerations into masterplanning and site allocation processes, ensuring that heritage is embedded early in plan-making rather than addressed solely at application stage.