Buckinghamshire Council adopts new county-wide Local Heritage List

The council has developed a Local Heritage List to protect some of the most important sites in the county that contribute to the character and heritage of Buckinghamshire.

There have been more than 3,440 nominations from members of the pubic for inclusion on the list, which resulted in a team of volunteers working alongside the council’s staff helping to assess sites and enrich records. In January 2023, 771 sites were brought forward for adoption in Phase 1.Today a further 1,466 sites have been added, bringing the total number of locally listed assets to 2,237.

The Local Heritage List identifies locally significant heritage sites and celebrates their contribution to local identity and character. These sites include historic buildings (houses, chapels, agricultural and industrial buildings), archaeological sites (upstanding earthwork remains and buried sites), formal gardens, public open spaces, public works of art, monuments, and street furniture.

This is different to statutory listing and designations (e.g., Grade I, II and II* Listed Buildings, Scheduled Monuments, and Registered Parks and Gardens), which are assessed nationally by Historic England.

Some of the sites going forward for adoption in the Local Heritage List are:

• Amersham Railway Station and platforms
• Benjamin North & Sons former furniture factory, Piddington
• Oakley Airfield bomb storage area
• Hedsor House, Hedsor
• Mushroom Tree Shelter, East Claydon
• Rawlings Dell Borehole
• Ludwig Guttman statue (founder of Paralympic Games)
• Anul gana miku uchi murugan kovil temple

“I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to progress our Local Heritage List and adopt a further 1,466 sites today,” said Steve Bambrick, Buckinghamshire Council’s Corporate Director for Planning Growth & Sustainability.

“This is thanks to the hard work of our Heritage & Archaeology Team, who have collated and assessed the hundreds of sites nominated by local communities. I must also thank the many volunteers who have worked (and continue to work) on this project, bringing their enthusiasm and passion for Buckinghamshire’s historic environment to this project.”

Steve added: “The Local Heritage List will help us protect local heritage assets for future generations to enjoy. For instance, assets on this list will be recognised and considered in any future planning applications.”

To view a list of nominated sites, please visit the Buckinghamshire Local Heritage List website