How to modernise heritage sites and remain compliant

By David Woodall, area manager of the Assent Group and Oculus Building Consultancy

[THERE ARE AN INCREASING number of heritage and ecclesiastical sites around the UK being used for different purposes to the ones that they were originally intended. From old churches being turned into flats, listed buildings being divided up to make hotels or offices or even new builds being added on to old sites to enable dual use functionality. The key is making the very best use of the space that is available to us whilst protecting our heritage, and this cannot all be done by treating these buildings as museum pieces.

Changing the use of a building from that for which it was intended to something completely different does present some challenges when it comes to ensuring that the new layout of the building is compliant with the relevant building regulations. You may think that this would be simple as you are retrofitting an old building with up to-date materials which are all designed to adhere to the most stringent of requirements. The reality can often be far from that with buildings being divided up in ways that require extensive fire compartmentation, issues around acoustic performance, the requirement to thermally improve the property and, in some cases, the requirement to provide improved access.

One of the main challenges facing a developer or owner who is

The 1840, St George’s Gardens in SW17, for homes that blend heritage with modern style. Photo by Matt Tyler Photography looking to change the use of a listed or ecclesiastical building can be ensuring that they meet the thermal requirements of the building regulations. Quite often you are taking a previously unheated space

The Shalom Centre was once a church. Now it is a Community Resource Centre at 395 High Street North, Newham, London.

and turning it into habitable accommodation, for example stables and outbuildings being converted into living accommodation or where a building is subject to change of use.

The guidance suggests the thermal elements should be upgraded but does allow flexibility given the historic nature of the building. On a practical level, building control surveyors have the flexibility to green light ‘reasonable’ upgrades that do not damage the fabric or the character of the building as it states in the Approved Document L1b. Historic England has provided some additional guidance around specific energy efficiency measures that can be found on the website at historicengland.org.uk/advice/technical-advice/energy-efficiencyand-historic-buildings.

The conversion of redundant churches into dwellings is also becoming more commonplace and with that comes its own challenges. They are obviously subject to the same thermal requirements as outlined for historic buildings, but a developer should also consider the fire separation and safe escape routes. This is one area where the controls are rigorous and all current guidance must be adhered to as it protects life in an emergency situation. There are, however, some alternative routes to compliance (equivalence) that can allow a safe route given a particular feature or characteristic of the building which may be causing design issues.

There are some interesting and innovative solutions currently being delivered around the UK that are enabling churches to remain open despite dwindling congregations. We are currently working on a project in Herefordshire where a sleeping pod is being constructed in a rural church. The aim of this development is to bring in a small amount of money which can help to fund the general upkeep of the church. This is a Grade 2*-listed church and so is very impressive inside and worth the investment to enable it to remain open. The considerations to factor in here were the need to introduce some heating to the two-storey pod, sited at the back of the church, and the resulting requirement for insulation. The pod is constructed so that it doesn’t touch the walls of the church.

The project has had the added dimension of needing to maintain the use as a church when the pod is not in use. This solution means the structure can be used as one or the other – never both at the same time – and that has created some additional thought needed around the resulting fire and general access requirements for both uses. When being used as an accommodation pod it needed a suitable fire escape including a safe route out in the event of a fire in the church and the pod couldn’t impede on the access and escape needs of the church congregation. We also had to factor in the need for suitable fire brigade access through the churchyard and early discussions with the fire brigade have helped resolve that issue.

For any project, including work on heritage and ecclesiastic sites, early engagement with the building control provider is key. This enables early discussion with other key stakeholders, such as the fire brigade, to get additional opinions on proposals before the plans progress too far and too much money is spent in order to avoid wastage. The Building Regulations do provide some flexibility in the guidance of what is and is not acceptable around non-fire related upgrades to buildings and an experienced building control surveyor will be able to work with the developer to find alternative solutions that still enable the original vision for the work to be completed.

One final consideration, working with historic listed buildings will invariably require involvement with the Listed Building teams within local authorities. Sometimes this is where a project can meet some resistance as the requirements for upgrade and desire for improvements meet the need to protect the building to avoid any unsuitable works. It’s important that the building control provider is consulted even at the design stage as they are often able to spot the potential issues that may cause a design to be rejected and offer guidance on how the design can be altered to create a more sympathetic solution whilst still adhering to the latest guidance. q www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk 37