Last year Historic England published analysis into the potential to create new housing by bringing back into use vacant or underused residential or commercial property. We estimate up to 670,000 new homes could be created by repairing or reusing existing historic properties, contributing towards the Government's target of building 1.5 million homes.  

The environmental benefits of reuse are well established: Historic England analysis has shown that the construction of a new home produces up to 13 times more embodied carbon than refurbishment of an existing home of the same size. We do not need to build new to achieve energy efficiency: retrofitting can achieve significant operational carbon reductions, ranging between 59% to 94% compared to the existing Victorian house built around 1894. 

The benefits of reuse are not just environmental. Bringing historic buildings back into use secures their future and their role in shaping places where people want to live, work, and spend time. This in turn generates important economic and well-being benefits. We know that people value historic buildings: evidence shows being in a conservation area or near to a listed building can increase property values. When surveyed, seven in 10 respondents (71%) said local historic buildings are important to their quality of life, and almost two thirds of respondents (63%) said that being in or around historic buildings positively affects their wellbeing, comparable to the positive effect of local parks and green spaces (80%). 

London already has many outstanding examples of the creative and sympathetic reuse of historic structures to create new homes and revitalise places: at St Clements Bow the reuse of a former workhouse infirmary has created 73 homes as part of a wider development of 252 homes, 23 of which are owned by London’s first Community Land Trust. The redevelopment of Hornsey Town Hall and surrounding land has created homes, a hotel, and an arts centre, and secured the restoration and new purpose for the Grade II* listed building. 

We’re particularly excited by the potential in local high streets to create new homes and reenergise places, including in London. Our analysis suggests there is potential to unlock around 120,000 new homes above historic shops across England. Through our High Streets Heritage Action Zone programme, which ran from 2020 to 2024, we invested £5.5m in projects in Harlesden, Tottenham, South Norwood, Woolwich, and Petticoat Lane in Tower Hamlets, to revitalise historic high streets. Building on the great work and enthusiasm generated by those, and other schemes across the country, we want to explore the potential to reuse more space above shops to help meet the need for housing and bring renewed energy and economic activity to much-loved high streets.  

For more information on our research into reusing historic buildings for housing, head to Heritage Counts:  https://historicengland.org.uk/research/heritage-counts/heritage-insights/vacant-buildings-to-new-homes/.   

Further advice on heritage and housing can be found on our website: https://historicengland.org.uk/research/heritage-counts/heritage-insights/vacant-buildings-to-new-homes/, along with our Heritage Works for Housing guidance: https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/planning/housing/heritage-works-for-housing/.  

We can also help you derisk your site and provide certainty early in the design development process through our Enhanced Advisory Services: https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/planning/our-planning-services/enhanced-advisory-services/