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Historic England Chair: historic buildings can provide 670,000 homes

Image: Ashton Canal in Ancoats, an area cited by Lord Mendoza for its use of historic buildings for housing (David Dixon CC BY-SA 2.0)

Former textiles mills could be among the historic buildings to provide 670,000 addition homes, argues Lord Neil Mendoza

Lord Neil Mendoza, chairman of Historic England, has made the case for leveraging the nation’s historic buildings to tackle the housing shortage.

Writing in The Times, Mendoza – who was appointed last August – said converting some of the country’s historic buildings into housing would foster economic growth and community wellbeing.

“We should embrace the huge untapped potential that older buildings could have in helping to tackle the country’s housing challenge,” he writes.

“The greenest building is one that already exists. Let’s resist the urge to demolish and always build anew.”

He said the organisation estimates an additional 670,000 homes could be created by repurposing existing buildings, including in the vacant space of historic textile mills. Mendoza goes on to argue that, as a reported 99% of the population resides within a mile of a protected historic site, the opportunities would be wide-spread.

Last October, Keir Starmer committed to build 1.5 million new homes over five years to curb the housing crisis.

Lord Mendoza goes on to stress the significant economic impact of heritage sites, which he claims contribute substantially to artistic and scientific creativity, thereby enhancing productivity and business growth.

He cites the revitalisation of over 60 historic high streets through restoration, part of a £6m project, as evidence of heritage-led urban regeneration boosting local economies.

He claims 93% of people report that local heritage has improved their quality of life, and concludes “investing in our shared, irreplaceable cultural past can boost our economy, the creative industries and provide housing. It can also make us feel more connected as communities, and just being around it is good for the soul. Our heritage is one of our country’s superpowers.”