Heritage Fund selects first areas for place-based funding

The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) has revealed the first nine areas of the UK set to benefit from part of a £200m scheme targeted at unlocking the potential of heritage in local areas.

The initiative, Heritage Places, is one of a series of long-term ventures NLHF is introducing as part of its new 10-year strategy worth £3.6bn, Heritage 2033, that commenced earlier this year.

Heritage Places will offer long-term, sustained funding to the selected areas, improving the condition of heritage in these areas through projects that engage communities, revitalise economies and build pride in place.

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The initial nine areas selected feature six in England – County Durham, Leicester, Medway, North East Lincolnshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Torbay – alongside Glasgow in Scotland, Neath Port Talbot in Wales and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon in Northern Ireland.

A further 11 Heritage Places will be considered as part of the development of the Heritage Fund’s next three-year delivery plan, taking the total to 20.

“For the last 30 years, the Heritage Fund has invested in heritage making better places for communities to live, work and visit,” NLHF Chief Executive Eilish McGuinness said.

“Our Heritage Places builds on this and is designed to support in challenging times, to achieve even greater impact, and commits our funding for the long-term.

“With the 10-year sustained investment offered by Heritage Places, the areas announced today can be sure that we will work with communities and partners to target place-based investment that boosts pride in place, connects communities with heritage, and takes confident strides forward using heritage as the foundation for change.”

Evidence-based approach

NLHF says areas were selected as Heritage Places through an evidence-based approach which combined new quantitative research with local insight.

Factors taken into consideration included the level of heritage at risk or in poor condition in an area, levels of social and economic deprivation and low levels of prior heritage funding, with areas of under-investment given priority.

NLHF’s area teams initially shortlisted places for inclusion, before the fund’s six regional committees recommended the initial nine areas set to benefit from the investment. The board of trustees reviewed all analysis before approving the first tranche of Heritage Places.

Martin Thomas, Executive Director of Torbay Culture said the new ten-year strategic place partnership is “a genuine step change in how to support local heritage”.

“We've worked so hard to build trust and confidence in Torbay, so that heritage can be central to our civic motto of 'health and happiness' and make a real difference for people.

“Thanks to the Heritage Fund's collaborative approach and support we can turn that vision into a reality.”