How to choose a heritage consultant in London

What good looks like

A defensible heritage consultant appointment satisfies six criteria:

• Formal accreditation (IHBC, RTPI or RIBA Conservation, or a combination).
• A named senior individual who will lead the work, not pass it to a junior.
• Demonstrable experience in the borough and asset type.
• A written, scoped proposal that sets out methodology, deliverables and timeline.
• References from comparable projects that the consultant will let you contact.
• Professional indemnity insurance at a level appropriate to the project.

Accreditations to look for

The principal heritage planning accreditations in the UK are IHBC (Institute of Historic Building Conservation), RTPI (Royal Town Planning Institute) and RIBA Conservation Architect (with sub-grades Conservation Registrant, Conservation Architect and Specialist Conservation Architect). For archaeological work, look for CIfA (Chartered Institute for Archaeologists). A consultant claiming accreditation should appear on the public register of the relevant body.

Conservation officers and planning inspectors give different weight to evidence depending on its source. An IHBC-led heritage statement is generally treated as policy-grade evidence; a statement by an unaccredited author is more likely to be discounted.

Borough and asset experience

London borough conservation policy is dense. Each borough has its own local plan heritage policies, conservation area appraisals, character appraisals, design guidance, supplementary planning documents and Article 4 directions. A consultant who has worked in your borough recently will know the documents the case officer expects to see referenced, and the standing concerns of the conservation team.

Asset-type experience matters as much as borough experience. A consultant who routinely advises on Georgian terraces is not necessarily the right fit for an interwar mansion block, a mews conversion, a former industrial site or a Modern Movement listed building. Ask for two or three closely comparable projects.

Questions to ask

• Who specifically will lead this instruction, and what is their accreditation?
• How many comparable projects have you completed in this borough in the last three years?
• What primary archive sources will you draw on, and which archives will you visit in person?
• Will you engage with the conservation officer before submission?
• What is the deliverable, the page count, the structure and the imagery?
• What is the timeline from instruction to draft to final document?
• Can I speak to a previous client on a comparable project?
• What is the level of professional indemnity insurance carried?

Red flags

• No named accreditation, or accreditation that does not appear on the relevant register.
• A quote priced per page, or that talks about a "template" heritage statement.
• Refusal to name the individual who will write the document.
• No site visit included in the scope.
• No engagement with the listing entry or the conservation area appraisal in the methodology.
• No professional indemnity insurance, or insurance at a level below the project value.
• References that cannot be contacted or comparable projects that cannot be evidenced.

How fees work

Heritage consultancy fees are scoped per project after an initial review of the asset and the proposal. There is no useful published rate. Cost depends on the asset's grade, the depth of archive research required, the complexity of the proposal, the borough and the deliverable. A senior London consultancy will provide a written, scoped proposal with a fixed scope and a clear deliverable. Open-ended hourly arrangements are unusual on heritage planning instructions and rarely the strongest value.

FAQs