Morning, Tuesday, 9th September 2025
Online
This conference will examine next steps for developing the heritage sector in the UK, looking at opportunities emerging from government policy aimed at supporting regional growth, local regeneration, UK tourism, and national wellbeing.
Bringing together stakeholders with policymakers, it comes with the Government’s ambition for attracting 50 million international visitors per year by 2030, as set out in the recent Industrial Strategy and Spending Review, and in the context of the forthcoming National Visitor Economy Strategy.
Sector priorities and funding
Delegates will discuss support needed for the sector if wider strategic aims are to be achieved, including levels of investment in initiatives such as the Arts Everywhere Fund, opportunities and issues in the devolution agenda, tackling planning barriers, and priorities for balancing development with heritage protection.
The role of wide regional investment in culture to support the sustainability of projects and institutions will be considered - including allocation and utilisation of £2.9bn recently committed in the Spending Review to safeguard and modernise cultural and heritage institutions in towns and cities.
The agenda examines options for long-term and revenue funding models, reflecting proposals from the Heritage Alliance for a new Culture Growth Fund aimed at addressing ongoing financial sustainability. With heritage positioned in the Industrial Strategy, within the broader creative industries we expect discussion on opportunities to drive for cultural infrastructure investment to support local growth, alongside questions around establishing clarity on the role of heritage within the strategy.
Local growth and regeneration
Opportunities through the role that restoration of built heritage plays in local regeneration will be considered, with regeneration linked to cultural assets positioned for support in the Industrial Strategy and following Historic England’s evaluation report of the High Streets Heritage Action Zones scheme estimating economic benefits of over £245m for local areas.
With the English Devolution Bill expected to be laid before Parliament later this year, attendees will assess opportunities for building on the success of action zones, and how built heritage can continue to contribute to wider regional growth whilst safeguarding conservation services at a local level. Delegates will also examine the distribution and adequacy of recent heritage-focused funding packages, and discuss best practice in unlocking local growth, civic pride, and wider cultural benefits.
Policy, planning and regulatory reform
Sessions will also consider the potential impact of policy and regulatory reforms - such as changes to VAT and planning rules - on addressing challenges in protecting built heritage.
It comes with the Planning and Infrastructure Bill currently progressing through Parliament, and the Industrial Strategy targeting a 25% reduction in regulatory burdens by the next Parliament. Attendees will consider strategies for tackling barriers such as EPC requirements and listing processes, as well as addressing concerns around provisions that may reduce heritage protections. Implications of reforms aimed at reducing procurement barriers for SMEs, as set out in the Spending Review, will also be assessed in the context of community asset transfer of heritage buildings.
Further discussion will examine how best to define and safeguard intangible heritage, as government invites communities to nominate traditions for a new inventory, in the context of the UK’s commitment to implementing the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Heritage preservation and innovation
Delegates will assess opportunities for the UK heritage and conservation science sector to support innovation and UK soft power through programmes such as AHRC’s Research Infrastructure for Heritage and Conservation Science programme. With the Industrial Strategy’s broader commitment to increase R&D investment to £22.6bn annually by 2029/30, delegates will assess opportunities for research collaboration and commercialisation, and how these may inform a more proactive and coordinated approach to heritage policy, including in devolved nations.
Visitor economy
Attendees will consider priorities for the design and implementation of the National Visitor Economy Strategy and the role of heritage in supporting the UK visitor economy with the Government’s ambition for international visitors. We also expect delegates to assess implications of proposals for the introduction of a local visitor levy put forward by a coalition of English mayors in June 2025.
Workforce capacity, development and diversity
Further sessions explore issues around diversity, representation, inclusion and general capacity in the heritage sector workforce, looking at tackling barriers to participation, and how prevailing definitions of heritage influence representation and inclusion across the sector.
Strategies for ensuring sustainable talent pipelines moving forward will be discussed, including addressing skills shortages in heritage construction, craft and conservation, and the development of new training and workforce opportunities - including support announced in the Industrial Strategy. Discussion will also draw on recommendations from Historic England’s 2024 Workforce Diversity Survey, with a focus on where further action may be needed.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
