Protecting and conserving built heritage while delivering a major infrastructure programme

Britain’s railway heritage is the world’s richest. Along with churches and government departments, the railway industry is one of the most significant owners of historic premises and structures. As the railways experience their biggest investment since Victorian times there is a need to protect and conserve their rich history and heritage.

Preserving our historic environment is also recognised as a key component of delivering sustainable infrastructure programmes. Delivering the Thameslink Programme (TLP) had heritage impacts both in operation and construction. To minimise this impact the programme worked closely with local authorities and English Heritage to protect and conserve heritage at a number of locations including Farringdon, Blackfriars, Borough Market and London Bridge as well as including this commitment in the TLP Sustainability Strategy.

Britain’s and Thameslink Programme’s railway heritage

Britain’s railway heritage includes a wide range of types of buildings and structures, many of which were first devised in this country to meet the needs of the new railways. Every style and material is represented in its architecture and engineering. This heritage is still growing: railway buildings completed as recently as 1966 have now been listed. The 681 railway buildings and structures listed in 1985 in England, Scotland and Wales had increased to some 1,650 by 2009; Ancient Monuments increased from 45 to over 100 in the same period, while numerous parts of the railway estate fall within Conservation Areas.

Delivering TLP impacted upon the Grade II listed station building at Farringdon and London Bridge, the listed southern abutment of the former West Blackfriars and St Paul Rail bridge at Blackfriars and the conservation areas of Borough High Street and Tooley Street South. The programme worked collaboratively with the supply chain and regulators to minimise the impacts to the built heritage in these areas through the following approaches.

A sustainable Thameslink Programme

Sustainability was right at the heart of Thameslink Programme and our vision was to ‘deliver transport benefits to budget that represents value for money and creates an overall positive impact on the community and the environment’.

To do this we worked to ensure that not only did we achieve the highest standards in sustainability, but we upheld them on all fronts. As part of our vision TLP committed ‘To identify and manage sites during construction where heritage is to be maintained and enhanced.’

Planning protocol and Listed building consents

Under the Transport and works Act Order TLP was required to comply with PPG15 – Planning and the Historic Environment whose objective is to preserve any listed building or its setting, or any features of special architectural character or historic interest which it possesses as well as preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of any conservation area.

The historic and architectural importance of stations such as Farringdon and London Bridge is recognised in it being afforded statutory protection as a grade II listed building. As such, any works to the station which affect its special character and/or its appearance were authorised by the local planning authority via the granting of listed building consent. Furthermore, English Heritage directed the local planning authority on whether or not to grant listed building consents and what conditions needs to be attached to any consent.

To manage the listed building issues the Network Rail TLP Consents team, along with assistance and advice from heritage specialists, worked collaboratively with the supply chain to achieve the following:

• Smooth management and delivery of the consents application process to keep the programme schedule on track
• Oversee the salvage (and eventual restoration) of a number of historic station features
• Undertake specialist historic building recording of structures or elements lost through the scheme.
• Produce statements of significance and impact assessments, which have since become statutory requirements as set out in Planning Policy Statement 5.