A practitioner-focused guide to UK conservation legislation, consents, and evidence-based decision-making for alterations, repair, retrofit, and change of use in historic environments.
Heritage projects in the UK sit at the intersection of design ambition, statutory controls, and public value. Architects are expected to make defensible decisions about significance, harm, and benefit—often under programme and budget pressure—while navigating listed building consent, planning, and overlapping policy duties that can vary materially between authorities and asset types.
This course clarifies how conservation legislation and policy frameworks shape day-to-day architectural choices, from early feasibility through technical design and procurement. It focuses on how to structure an approvals strategy, evidence proposals with proportionate heritage assessment, and manage risk around enforcement, conditions, and stakeholder challenge.
Participants will gain practical methods for interpreting requirements, coordinating inputs (heritage, planning, engineering, cost, and specialist conservation), and presenting proposals that withstand scrutiny—supporting better outcomes for clients, communities, and historic fabric.
Principal Consultant | Merging Ecologies Studio
Dr. Tokie Laotan-Brown holds a Ph.D. in Economics and Techniques for the Conservation of Architectural and Environmental Heritage from the University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia, and Universita Iuav di Venezia, Italy. She has extensive experience in heritage preservation, community-driven conservation, and sustainable design, with a particular focus on Afrocentric cultural landscapes. Tokie has worked on numerous high-profile restoration and documentation projects, including the Hope Waddell Training Institution in Calabar, Nigeria, and curated exhibitions like Moving African Landscapes at the Venice Biennale. She is a board member of several heritage organizations, including Our World Heritage Initiative, and serves as the President of the Association for Critical Heritage Studies (ACHS) 2024-2026. Her consultancy, Merging Ecologies Studio, combines her passions for sustainable architecture, cultural heritage, and community involvement to provide innovative solutions that honor the past while paving the way for a resilient future.
