Terms and Abbreviations Explained

Risk assessment types

The Heritage at Risk Register includes the following risk assessment types:

• Building or structure (grade I and II* listed buildings nationally, grade II listed buildings in London, and structural scheduled monuments) 
• Place of worship (grade I, II* and II listed buildings) 
• Archaeology (scheduled monuments - earthworks and buried archaeology) 
• Park and garden (registered parks and gardens) 
• Battlefield (registered battlefields) 
• Wreck site (protected wreck sites) 
• Conservation area (conservation areas)

Designation (Heritage Category)

The principal designation (Heritage Category) is noted for each entry and includes:

• Listed Building grade I or II* nationally, or II in London
• Listed Place of Worship grade I, II* or II
• Scheduled Monument
• Registered Park and Garden grade I, II* or II
• Registered Battlefield
• Protected Wreck Site
• Conservation Area

Structures can occasionally be dual designated (both listed as buildings and scheduled as monuments). In such cases, scheduling controls take precedence.

If an entry is dual designated (both listed and scheduled), this is noted on the details page. A scheduled monument can be dual designated with more than one listed building; and a listed building can be dual designated with more than one scheduled monument.

The National Heritage List for England List Entry Number is noted for all entries (except conservation areas). If a site is dual designated, all relevant List Entry Numbers are included.

Other designations that apply to the designated site, including location within a Conservation Area (CA), Registered Park and Garden (RPG) and/or a World Heritage Site (WHS) are also noted on the details page.

Condition

For buildings (including places of worship) at risk, condition is graded as:

• very bad
• poor
• fair
• good

For sites that cover areas (scheduled archaeological sites, parks and gardens, battlefields and wreck sites) one overall condition category is recorded. The category may relate only to the part of the site or monument that is at risk and not the whole site:

• extensive significant problems
• generally unsatisfactory with major localised problems
• generally satisfactory but with significant localised problems
• generally satisfactory but with minor localised problems
• optimal
• unknown (noted for a number of scheduled monuments that are below-ground and where their condition cannot be established).

For conservation areas, condition is categorised as:

• very bad
• poor
• fair
• optimal

If a site has suffered from heritage crime it is noted in the summary. Heritage crime is defined as any offence which harms the heritage asset or its setting and includes arson, graffiti, lead theft and vandalism.

Occupancy / Use

For buildings (excluding places of worship) that can be occupied or have a use, the main vulnerability is vacancy, or under-use. Occupancy (or use) is noted as follows:

• vacant
• part occupied
• occupied
• unknown
• not applicable

Vulnerability

Principal vulnerability is noted for archaeology assessments and may relate only to the part of the site that is at risk, and include:

• animal burrowing
• arable ploughing
• coastal erosion
• collapse
• deterioration – in need of management
• scrub/tree growth
• visitor erosion

For parks and gardens, battlefields, wreck sites and conservation areas, vulnerability is noted as:

• high
• medium
• low

Priority category

Priority for action is assessed on a scale of A to F, where ‘A’ is the highest priority for a site which is deteriorating rapidly with no solution to secure its future, and ‘F’ is the lowest priority.

For buildings and structures and places of worship the following priority categories are used as an indication of trend and as a means of prioritising action:

• A - Immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric; no solution agreed
• B - Immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric; solution agreed but not yet implemented
• C - Slow decay; no solution agreed
• D - Slow decay; solution agreed but not yet implemented
• E - Under repair or in fair to good repair, but no user identified; or under threat of vacancy with no obvious new user (applicable only to buildings capable of beneficial use)
• F - Repair scheme in progress and (where applicable) end use or user identified; or functionally redundant buildings with new use agreed but not yet implemented

For battlefields and wreck sites the following priority categories are used as a means of prioritising action:

• A - No action/strategy identified or agreed (where trend is declining or unknown)
• B - Action/strategy agreed but not yet implemented (where trend is declining or unknown)
• C - No action/strategy identified or agreed (where trend is stable or improving)
• D - Action/strategy agreed but not yet implemented (where trend is stable or improving)
• E - Monitoring as appropriate (any trend)
• F - Action implemented/strategy underway/scheme in progress (any trend)

The priority category for the previous year is given, otherwise ‘New entry’ is noted.

‘New entry - re-assessed’ indicates an existing site on the Register that has been re- assessed using a different risk assessment methodology and is included on this year’s Register under the new assessment type.

Trend

Trend for archaeology entries, parks and gardens, battlefields and wreck sites may relate only to the part of the site that is at risk and is categorised as:

• declining
• stable
• improving
• unknown

For conservation areas trend is categorised as:

• deteriorating
• deteriorating significantly
• no significant change
• improving
• improving significantly
• unknown

Ownership

A principal ownership category is given for each entry, and if sites are in divided ownership, a ‘multiple’ ownership category is noted

Owner categories are:

• Charity (heritage)
• Charity (non-heritage)
• Commercial company
• Commercial company, multiple owners
• Crown
• Local authority
• Local authority, multiple owners
• Mixed, multiple owners
• Other not for profit group
• Private
• Educational (independent)
• Educational (state sector)
• English Heritage
• Government or agency
• Health authority
• Historic England
• Private, multiple owners
• Religious organisation
• Trust
• Unknown
• Utility

Contact

This is the member of the Historic England local team who acts as a first point of contact for the case, and to whom enquiries should be addressed.

For conservation areas, and grade II listed buildings in London, the contact is the conservation/planning officer at the relevant local planning authority (indicated by ‘LPA’).

We are not in any sense agents for the owners of the sites included, but we will endeavour to put people in touch with them where appropriate.

Abbreviations

CA Conservation Area
HE Historic England
HLF Heritage Lottery Fund
LB Listed Building
LPA Local Planning Authority
NP National Park
RPG Registered Park and Garden
SM Scheduled Monument
UA Unitary Authority
WHS World Heritage Site