Nominations open for Peterborough heritage assets to join public register

A consultation opens on Monday, July 5 to update Peterborough’s Local List - a register of buildings, features or sites that significantly contribute to the city’s historic environment.

The idea is to capture heritage assets which are considered important to Peterborough and its surrounding villages.

These do not include Listed Buildings or Scheduled Monuments which receive protection by law.

According to Peterborough City Council, which has begun the consultation, local heritage lists are a “means for stakeholders, the community and a local planning authority to jointly identify heritage assets that are valued as distinctive elements of the local heritage/identity of a place.

“It provides clarity on the location of assets and what it is about them that is significant. It can also play a key part in promoting the cultural identity of a place for various purposes, including investment and tourism.”

Inclusion on the list will not give a site any added protections during the planning process, but the symbolism will mean any potential impact will be taken into consideration.

It will also “inform developers, owners, council officers and members about buildings within the local authority boundary that are desirable to retain and protect” and “record the nature of the local historic environment more accurately”.

There are a wide range of buildings and features currently on Peterborough’s list, including the village water pump in Glinton, the former Broadway Theatre (now New Theatre Peterborough), the Great Northern Hotel and Oundle Road Baptist Church.

As part of the Government’s ‘Build Back Better’ initiative, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in association with Historic England provided £1.5 million to 22 areas to develop their local lists, with Peterborough receiving £38,000.

Peterborough was one on the first adopters of the local list and has been adding new entries since it was established in 2012.

The council added: “The success of the project rests on the engagement by the public in nominating assets.”

There are six different criteria for inclusion on the list:

. Age and rarity

. Social and historical interest

. Architectural interest

. Street furniture or other structures

. Archaeological interest

. Parks, gardens and open spaces.

Nomination forms can be found at: www.peterborough.gov.uk/locallist.

Further information can be found at: https://www.peterborough.gov.uk/council/consultations/local-list-nominations.

The consultation closes on August 31.