Councils chiefs have called for greater investment in planning and conservation officers to help councils bring historic buildings back into use for housing, as MPs say vacant heritage sites could deliver nearly half of the Government's 1.5 million home building target.

Cllr Julie Jones-Evans, of the Local Government Association (LGA), said more investment in planning and conservation officers – particularly in rural and economically underperforming areas – would allow local government to accelerate planning work and bring empty buildings back into use.

She welcomed a new report from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, saying councils ‘stand ready to work with Government,’ but stressed the need to tackle fragmented funding and staff shortages.

The committee's report calls for a 'reuse first' approach to historic buildings, modelled on schemes such as Italy's €1 homes initiative, to unlock up to 670,000 new homes from vacant listed buildings, churches and old factories.

The report follows an 18-month inquiry which found listed buildings, churches, old factories and monuments are under ‘significant and increasing’ strain from cost pressures, workforce shortages and a planning system that is ‘complex and inconsistent’.

Recommendations for unlocking historic buildings for housing

Alongside planning reforms and a heritage-to-housing scheme, the report recommends improving financial support for old properties and tackling skills shortages in the heritage workforce.

It warns the VAT regime discourages repairs and reuse by making them more expensive than new construction, calling for targeted relief for maintenance and conversion, while funding for repairs to churches and other places of worship should be maintained.

MPs also want a new commitment to promoting careers and boosting skills in the heritage sector, warning workforce shortages pose one of the most serious risks to the long-term protection of the UK's built heritage.

Committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage said the Government's approach ‘reveals a deep complacency’.

‘Old buildings and other pieces of our past play a vital economic, social and cultural role in our communities, but the sight of leaking roofs, crumbling brickwork and vacant premises illustrates how the current policy approach to heritage is failing miserably to support either its protection or potential,’ she said.

Local Government Association (LGA) response

‘It is a great shame that whilst we face a housing crisis, there are hundreds of thousands of historic buildings lying empty or under-used. This presents a real opportunity to tackle the chronic shortage of housing in this country,’ said Cllr Jones-Evans.

‘The Committee is right to recognise the resourcing challenges and the need to tackle the shortage of skills in the heritage workforce. More investment in planning and conservation officers, particularly in rural and economically underperforming areas would allow local government to accelerate planning work.

‘As the report identifies, funding for built heritage is fragmented. Aligning the different funding streams would also mean existing funding can go further and have more impact on communities.’