A line of people dancing in front of a line of street carnival puppets, with pyrotechnics in the background.
On 22 September 2023, giant puppet Farrah the Fox returned home to Woolwich from a journey exploring high streets and what makes them special for Hi! Street Fest, a series of community-led street parties and carnivals. She was joined by six locally-inspired host puppets that she had met on her travels. © Historic England. More about Hi! Street Fest
On 22 September 2023, giant puppet Farrah the Fox returned home to Woolwich from a journey exploring high streets and what makes them special for Hi! Street Fest, a series of community-led street parties and carnivals. She was joined by six locally-inspired host puppets that she had met on her travels. © Historic England. More about Hi! Street Fest

Involving Local Communities

Involving communities in heritage led regeneration is crucial for ensuring that the projects are culturally sensitive, socially inclusive, and economically beneficial, leading to a stronger, more resilient community.

On this page
  1. How to involve communities
  2. What are the benefits?

How to involve communities

Historic England advocates for integrating local communities as active participants in the development of their historic places. This approach focuses on using the existing historic environment and cultural narratives to foster a strong sense of community identity and involvement.

To identify key groups and individuals to involve, do some work to map out your community stakeholders and develop an outreach plan to engage them, ensuring that all voices, especially those from underrepresented groups, are heard. 

Organise events, workshops, and information sessions to raise awareness of your regeneration project, its significance and the opportunities to get involved in it.

This outreach helps to engage a broad audience and encourages community members to take an interest in the preservation and development of their local places.

Examples

  • Northallerton's Heritage Hub which became a focus for engagement with the community during the Northallerton High Street Heritage Action Zone. It was so successful that its site at 90 High Street, Northallerton became a permanent fixture in the town centre
  • Leominster Heart and Heritage, a web app created to engage residents and visitors in the Leominster High Street Heritage Action Zone. It promoted the scheme's projects, the high street and its heritage, and it hosts a guide for owners and tenants of historic buildings
  • Middlesbrough former pub The Masham became a hub to engage with people locally during the Middlesbrough High Street Heritage Action zone. Watch a video about how The Masham became a hub for the scheme
  • Illuminated Sheep, an art trail of life-sized sheep lit up in bright colours across Northumberland as part of the Hexham High Street Heritage Action Zone cultural programme

Involve community members directly in the regeneration process through hands-on activities such as learning cultural skills, participating in restoration projects, or co-producing services and programmes related to historic places.

Historic places tell stories of how our places were, and continue to be, shaped by the people who live and work there. Regeneration programmes can provide opportunities to capture those stories and share them, to help others understand the unique character of the place.

This active involvement helps to build a deeper connection between the community and their local area.

Examples

  • Wednesbury Day Festival case study
    A 3-day festival brought residents together and involved local groups in co-production.
  • Plymouth High Street Sparks grants
    The Plymouth High Street Heritage Action Zone cultural programme provided small grants to community projects designed to breathe life back into the city centre.
  • King’s Lynn: Connecting Communities case study
    The King’s Lynn Heritage Action Zone engaged young people with hands-on arts activities.
  • North Lowestoft Creative Communities case study
    Through training, events, and heritage projects, the Heritage Action Zone partnership engaged the local community in the heritage of the area.
  • SALT: a community play for Poole
    A co-created play involved 100 community members in an epic promenade production, as part of the Poole High Street Heritage Action Zone cultural programme.
  • South Norwood High Street Stories
    South Norwood High Street Heritage Action Zone gathered an audio collection of stories and memories of the local area, told by residents.
  • Video: We Great Ladies on Eldon Street, Barnsley
    In a creative approach to story gathering, artists took up micro-residencies with local businesses on Eldon Street and the Victorian Arcade in Barnsley as part of the Eldon Street High Street Heritage Action Zone.
    Watch more videos created through the project on the Eldon Street HSHAZ Youtube channel.
  • ChardCast
    Chard Museums commissioned a local artist to produce a series of podcasts featuring local pupils and residents sharing local histories, as part of the Chard High Street Heritage Action Zone cultural programme.
  • Video: Featherstones Memories
    The Featherstones Memories project interviewed the grandson of the founder of a local family-run department store. The project was funded by Historic England as part of the Chatham Intra High Street Heritage Action Zone.
  • The Street that Was
    Wigan High Street Heritage Action Zone partnered with Wigan Local History and Heritage Society to create an online local histories archive focusing on the people and buildings of the King Street area.
  • North Shields Heritology Project and Remembering the Past
    Members of North Tyneside’s voluntary and community sector worked with local artists to unearth and share stories of life on Howard Street in a series of short films, as part of North Shields High Street Heritage Action Zone cultural programme.

Involve community members in decision-making processes related to regeneration projects. This could include forming advisory boards, holding public consultations, or establishing community steering groups.

Leadership roles can also be offered to community members, empowering them to take ownership of the project and its outcomes.

See more advice:

Collaborate with community-based organisations to bring together existing groups with a shared interest in local heritage. These partnerships ensure that the project reflects the interests and aspirations of local communities.

Community groups can also bring to your project a reputation, community links and communication channels that have taken years to build. 

By working together, they can lead and manage aspects of heritage projects, ensuring community needs are met and potentially continue to be met, beyond the end of your scheme.

Examples

  • Bishop Auckland Football Club Shop is a grassroots community project that has created a temporary use for an empty shop as a home for a rich collection of amateur football artefacts and stories
  • Lowestoft Pocket Park was a community-led project that transformed an overgrown eyesore into a community park and launched the Kirkley Pocket Parks Group

A co-design approach enabled residents to have their voices heard and to be part of the regeneration journey, leading to a higher chance of legacy work continuing in the community, past the end of the project.

High Street Heritage Action Zone Programme Manager Medway Council

Develop programmes that educate community members about the historical and cultural significance of their area. This could include a Heritage Schools Programme, community lectures, and cultural festivals. These initiatives can help to build a shared understanding of the heritage and its importance to the community’s identity.

How to study local heritage with students

  1. Choose your location on Google maps or another modern map and use street view to explore and look for historic features on buildings.
  2. Find significant buildings and sites in your local area on the National Heritage List for England – see how in this video.
  3. Find a person who used to live or work in the building using historical directories or via your local archive.
  4. Find the person and their family using historical census records.
  5. Search for historic photographs of the buildings from the Historic England Archive.
  6. Find historic photos of England using Historic England's Aerial Photo Explorer (APEX). Watch this video to find out how
  7. Historic England holds many more aerial photographs than are available in APEX. Order a Local History Pack from us, containing aerial photographs and old maps for use in the classroom. This video shows you how to use them.
    If your location isn’t listed, contact our Archive team and we may be able to put a pack together for you.
  8. Extend this activity by adding photos to the Missing Pieces project. Read our guide for teachers: How to contribute to the Missing Pieces Project

Education programme examples

Heritage trails

Heritage trails can help residents and visitors discover the local area, better understand its history and learn about a regeneration scheme’s projects. These are some examples of heritage trails created by our partners to inspire you:

  • Northallerton Augmented Reality Heritage Trail
    An innovative heritage trail used Augmented Reality to engage local residents and visitors with hidden stories of Northallerton.
  • Huddersfield Heritage Mile teaching activity
    Inspired by a local runner, the Huddersfield Heritage Mile, which can be either run or walked, was created as part of the Huddersfield High Street Heritage Action Zone.
  • I Spy The Historic Quarter Trail, Middlesbrough
    I Spy The Historic Quarter was created as part of Middlesbrough High Street Heritage Action Zone. The trail encourages visitors to spot architectural elements within a short walk from the railway station.
  • Ramsgate Raven Trail
    A flock of large brightly-coloured Raven statues, designed by local organisations, were installed across Ramsgate through the Ramsgate High Street Heritage Action Zone Cultural Youth Programme.
  • Hi! Stoke art trail celebrating the heritage of Stoke Town
    An art trail featuring 4 new artworks celebrating different aspects of the heritage of the town of Stoke-on-Trent, commissioned as part of the Stoke Town High Street Heritage Action Zone programme.
  • Chatham Intra Heritage Open Days Trail 2021
    Chatham Intra High Street Heritage Action Zone created a heritage trail to coincide with the Heritage Open Days 2021, allowing local people to uncover hidden histories of the high street.
  • Chard Lace Riot Walking Audio Tour
    Chard Museums recreated their Lace Riot walking audio tour and Blue Plaque Walk as part of the Chard High Street Heritage Action Zone scheme.

Plan for the long-term involvement of the community in the care and management of heritage assets. This could include training and capacity-building initiatives that equip community members with the skills needed to sustain the project’s legacy and continue preserving their heritage.

Lessons learnt 

  • Provide support to community groups. Although it takes time and resources, it is worth the effort to establish a core of project champions and volunteers to maintain a community profile. Find advice on how to value community contributions.
  • Make heritage meaningful to all, including those who would not typically be interested in history, by finding creative ways to engage different audiences. Use national schemes like Heritage Open Days to explain the project's goals, and showcase heritage through community events and festivals. Find out more on our Inclusive Heritage Advice Hub
  • Understand your local community. Invest in preparatory research and use previous research by your council or local organisations into what the town means to people and what changes they want to see.
  • A clear communications plan is essential. Unexpected disruptions or delays are common to heritage works. Be clear about what can and cannot be delivered and when, and carefully plan your engagement with local stakeholders.

These lessons were gathered from Historic England's partners who delivered regeneration projects during the High Streets Heritage Action Zones programme.

Public consultation example

A community consultation to create a long-term vision for Grantham

The Grantham High Street Heritage Action Zone ran a three-day Community Charette event in 2021 to engage with residents in the creation of a long-term vision for the town.

They held briefing and consultation sessions with community groups and an online survey gathered residents’ views on what they would change about Grantham.

The charette also included walking tours of the town, discussion workshops and mapping design exercises.

What are the benefits?

There is a strong evidence base for the benefits of supporting people to participate in the enjoyment, management and conservation of heritage.

Historic England's Heritage Counts research series provides annual evidence of the value of heritage to our economy, society and environment. It includes a Heritage and Society section where you can find robust evidence for how engagement in heritage benefits communities, which are covered briefly here:  

Preserve local identity

Communities are the custodians of their local history and heritage. Involving them ensures that regeneration efforts respect and reflect the unique cultural and historical identity of the area. This helps to maintain the character of the place, which might otherwise be lost in the process of development.

Enhance community wellbeing

Participation in heritage-led regeneration can significantly enhance the wellbeing of communities. It fosters a sense of pride, belonging, and ownership among residents. By engaging with their heritage, communities can strengthen social ties and improve overall quality of life.

Sustain regeneration efforts

Community involvement ensures that heritage projects are more sustainable in the long term. When communities are invested in the process, they are more likely to continue supporting and maintaining the outcomes of the regeneration, ensuring that the benefits last well beyond the initial project phase.

Improve project outcomes

Community engagement often leads to better project outcomes because it incorporates local knowledge and perspectives that might otherwise be overlooked. This can result in more creative and effective solutions that are tailored to the specific context of the area.

Economic and social benefits

Heritage-led regeneration often leads to increased economic opportunities, such as tourism and local business development. Involving the community helps to ensure that these benefits are distributed equitably and that local residents are able to capitalise on the economic gains.

The biggest success of the project was community engagement, by increasing pride of place and empowering people to be involved in regenerating their community. This has led to genuine community led regeneration with the Intra Community Trust establishing themselves as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and being awarded Heritage Development Trust funding.

High Street Heritage Action Zone Programme Manager Medway Council

Diverse perspectives and inclusive development

Engaging a broad and diverse range of community members ensures that regeneration projects are inclusive and consider the needs and aspirations of all segments of the population. This leads to more balanced and equitable outcomes, avoiding the marginalisation of certain groups.

Empowerment and capacity building

Involvement in heritage-led regeneration can empower communities by building their capacity to influence and manage local development. This can lead to the creation of new local leadership and the development of skills that are beneficial beyond the immediate project.

Don't just work with those who are already engaged and interested in heritage. Reach out to those who would ordinarily not be interested [by] using methods and topics and locations that work for these groups.

High Street Heritage Action Zone Programme Manager Dunstable Town Council
More advice on community engagement

Also of interest

Community Advice Hub
Wellbeing and Heritage Advice
Heritage and Regeneration Advice Hub