8351 Design in the historic environment - AWARD

England's cities, towns, and countryside are the products of change over a long period of time. The heritage values of these places - historic street patterns, the development of vernacular building styles and the use of traditional construction materials, as well as the fieldscapes that surround us - are the most visible elements of this on-going process of change and the goal is to ensure that the historic environment continues to make a positive contribution to the future form and character of places.

Historic England already provides a suite of practical help and guidance designed to encourage improved and appropriate development and regeneration in historic environments . These are available on the Historic England website: other supporting documentation is available via Historic England Advice Notes and related guidance . Key documents include: Historic England's Place-making strategy ; the setting of historic assets ; advice on Tall Buildings ; Understanding Place ; Building in Context ; and Streets for All . It is absolutely essential that our work and guidance reflects and responds to any changes to the planning system and must reference more recent policy and design guidance (e.g. the National Design Guide) to help frame emerging planning policy and assess its impacts on historic assets and places. This commissioned project will use specialist design consultants to, where necessary, update our design-related guidance and unite it as a single 'design offer', making sure it reflects recent (and progressing) developments in government policy, and so that it can be presented on a single section of the Historic England's website.

The project's products should be usable by all those with an interest in design quality in historic places such as landowners, developers and planners, as well as individuals and communities. This project should:

• facilitate a better understanding of the vulnerability, significance and value of the historic environment
• support the protection and enhancement of surviving fabric and character in the light of the pressures and opportunities that flow from development and other, related, scenarios
• result in beneficial and sustainable outcomes for the historic environment, including through improving the design of change

The products of the project will be material to be used on Historic England's website and in related training events. Historic England is aware of a wide range of construction and design 'apps' currently available and, with this is mind, we are keen to explore innovative options for how we might capture and present the data in a digital, potentially interactive, environment, e.g. providing an immersive experience for a user to interact with the design process such as makeover for a building using different materials, or window to wall ratios, or similar.

The outcomes from this project will be used within Historic England to frame and develop a Historic ...