Historic Environment Service Provider Recognition

IHBC's heritage business listing
Connecting client needs & heritage expertise


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Find a HESPR practice by type or location

HESPR is a promotional service for businesses that work to conservation and service standards expected by the IHBC

  • Historic Building Conservation
  • Conservation Planning
  • Architectural Design and new build in historic areas
  • Historical research
  • Historic area assessments
  • Project management
  • Archaeology
  • Other
  • All

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Office locations of HESPR Designated Service Adviser

Get 15 minutes free advice
HESPR free 15 minutes advice

Ask a HESPR company for advice; 15 minutes of free expert advice and guidance from conservation practices recognised through the IHBC’s HESPR register.


The advice may not answer questions in full but will help you work towards the answers, point you towards other sources of information or suggest where further professional advice is required.


To find help through this scheme search the HESPR entries on this page and go direct to the HESPR company using the contact details listed. You can find the company with the professional specialisms you need or similar geographical locations (although please note that most will work outside the area they are based in).


When contacting the HESPR company be sure to mention you are asking for the “HESPR free 15 minutes advice offer”.


Additional terms and conditions of this advice



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Why HESPR?

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Benefits of HESPR

The IHBC's HESPR service connects clients with authoritative conservation businesses and their expert advice.

As a client, using HESPR you can easily explore the best of conservation businesses and advice to get your job done properly: efficiently, effectively and sustainably. Whether your are a private owner or representing a developer, public body, charity or community group, and whatever your size or interests, you can use HESPR businesses to find the best way to get your work done.

Specialist expertise in HESPR businesses ranges from taking leading roles in the sensitive care and repair of traditional buildings, to survey, research, guidance and advice on the finest listed properties, as well as to planning, architectural and engineering advice, guidance and work on new buildings in sensitive or historic areas. Many also offer educational and skills-related services.

Speak to the HESPR company that best suits your needs, explain what you want, and they will advise on how best to progress.



Finding services

The IHBC's HESPR service helps anyone find a conservation business that best fits their needs AND works to the IHBC's conservation standards.

Owners, developers, local authorities, conservation organisations and land owners - anyone who needs conservation services or advice - can look to HESPR companies to offer conservation services.

HESPR companies can offer a wide range of conservation-related services, from new design in historic areas, to sector research or guidance on public interest and communication.

HESPR listings are for anyone who needs, or wants to offer:

- Conservation advice, to help understand, manage and care for places and properties of all types and ages
- Conservation services, to lead on changes to older or historic areas and fabric
- Specialist conservation knowledge, learning and skills within larger work or commercial programmes, such as in development or property management teams, educational services or other mainstream operations.

Ensuring quality

HESPR businesses protect their standards through having a lead professional working in line with the IHBC’s service expectations. You can find that lead professional - the 'Designated Service Adviser' (DSA) - listed on their HESPR web page.

The DSA should be the first 'port of call' for any concerns over work carried out by a HESPR company.

Find out More

To find out more see our ’Find Services' or explore our 'Join HESPR' sections.

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Join HESPR


"I have no doubt that the membership of such scheme and the publicity provided, contributed to my workload as a Conservation Surveyor.   I therefore have no hesitation in recommending it to other members."

“I wish the initiative future success, it has definitely been gaining momentum and some interesting opportunities have been coming through"

The web based searchable service provides each recognised company with an individual entry with full contact details and links to the companies own website.

The IHBC web site receives around 200,000 page visits each month and the most popular pages on the site exceed 7,000 hits each month. Apart from visits by IHBC members and other conservation professionals, many of these visits are from members of the public seeking conservation advice and enquiries fed into the site are often looking for conservation services.

The list of HESPR companies will be published annually in the IHBC Yearbook.

Local authorities and conservation bodies are likely to refer enquiries to the HESPR.

IHBC will direct those seeking specialist service providers to the HESPR.


HESPR benefits include:

  • Searchable online service with hosted and managed web pages for each HESPR business, containing full contact details and links
  • Web links from IHBC's Home Page, the starting point for IHBC's 30000 page web resource with 1/4million hits per month
  • HESPR company listings published in IHBC's Yearbook, circulation 5000+ (including planning authorities & other heritage regulators and leaders)
  • Free tender notification service (see  archive) - Download sample weekly alert
  • One free 'Jobs etc.' advert & email package p.a. (worth up to £400)
  • Dedicated search facility for HESPR-related events on IHBC's events calendar ( email for details)
  • HESPR fliers circulated at select IHBC events, such as the IHBC's Annual School, and IHBC-partnered events
  • HESPR promotion on IHBC networks, including social media etc


Apply for recognition

Historic Environment Service Providers’ Recognition scheme, HESPR, is the IHBC’s recognition and promotion service for companies and practices – service providers – that seek to operate in accordance with the IHBC’s guiding principles and standards of historic environment conservation, principally our Code of Conduct.

The IHBC DOES NOT regulate a company recognised under HESPR. Recognition under HESPR allows the IHBC to ‘recognise’, and publicly acknowledge, the historic environment service standard of a company on the basis of a corresponding professional endorsement by an employee of that company, the Designated Service Adviser (DSA), who is a Full Member of the IHBC and is employed by that company.

Practices recognised under the IHBC’s HESPR agree to observe the institute’s standards through maintaining a corporate link to the IHBC in the person of their Designated Service Adviser, a nominated Full Member of the IHBC, agreed by the IHBC. That Full Member has personal professional responsibility for their endorsement of the standard of service in the practice or across a defined or discrete part of it that relates to the historic environment. The responsible person is identified as the ‘Designated Service Adviser’ (DSA), and serves as the ‘quality control’ for the practice with respect to the areas covered by the IHBC’s code of conduct. This role can be identified in their job description.

The DSA will not usually be able to monitor or control all aspects of the services provided. It should be noted that any professional testimony in support of the company they represent accords with the ordinary standards expected of a Full Member of the IHBC under our Code of Conduct. The duty of the DSA is to:

- provide a level of quality assurance that, in their professional opinion, satisfies the standards expected by the IHBC and of the HESPR
- serve as a public point of contact within the practice for HESPR-related issues or complaints to be registered and addressed
- serve as a pro-active communication route between the practice and the IHBC maintain and update information held by the IHBC in accordance with the needs of the HESPR

Neither the IHBC nor the HESPR either control or regulate areas covered by more appropriate or more substantial regulatory regimes, including pay, benefits, insurance etc.




Quality control

The Designated Service Adviser provides the quality control for the operation of the historic environment services in the company. Evidently it is essential that the DSA maintains appropriate continuing professional development, again in line with their duties as a Full Member of the IHBC. Consequently the DSA will be subject to regular CPD assessment.

Contravention of the terms of the HESPR can render the DSA subject to disciplinary measures under, at least, Item 1 of the IHBC’s Code of Conduct:“Those engaged in the conservation of historic buildings, areas and landscapes will adhere to the highest standards of ethical and responsible behaviour in the conduct of the conservation of such buildings and sites.”



Subscription Rates

Subscriptions are tiered depending on the number of professional (but not necessarily conservation specialist) employees in the organisation.

  
Tier 1: Very small organisation - up to and including two professional full time equivalent employees.
Tier 2: Small organisation - up to five professional full time equivalent employees
Tier 3: Medium organisation - up to ten professional full time equivalent employees
Tier 4: Large organisations - up to fifteen professional full time equivalent employees
Tier 5: Very large organisations - over fifteen professional full time equivalent employees

Subscription levels are as follows:

  
Tier 1: £130
Tier 2: £250
Tier 3: £500
Tier 4: £900
Tier 5: £1,200

An initial application fee of £50 is required on application for recognition under HESPR and on any subsequent reapplication for recognition following any break in inclusion. This is non-returnable and intended to cover the administrative costs of processing the application.
All fees are subject to the addition of VAT.



Application Process

Please take time to read the terms of reference for the scheme as well as the information on this site.

  1. The company will first of all need to nominate its Designated Service Adviser (DSA).
  2. Further details on the role of the DSA can be found in the terms of reference. The DSA will be responsible for making the application.
  3. Please download and complete the following documents: Application form, Reference form, Data pro forma
  4. Please email the completed Data pro forma to hespr@ihbc.co.uk so that your details can be uploaded to the website.
  5. Print out all the documents, sign them where necessary and send them to HESPR, IHBC Enterprises Ltd, Jubilee House, High Street, Tisbury, Wiltshire, SP3 6HA.
  6. Please include a cheque for the application fee of £50 along with the first year’s subscription for your tier of company (with the addition of VAT @20% added to the total), made payable to IHBC Enterprises Ltd.
  7. A photograph, logo or other illustrative material can be sent on CD or emailed to hespr@ihbc.co.uk


About us

HESPR is a recognition and promotional service for companies active in the historic environment that is maintained and operated for the IHBC, the professional body for historic environment conservation specialists across the UK.

Recognition under the IHBC’s HESPR allows companies (including sole traders) to:
- subscribe to the terms of the IHBC’s professional, ethical, technical and service standards for the historic environment
- to support the IHBC’s charitable intentions, and
- to benefit from that association by having their services promoted through the IHBC’s extensive communications networks.

The IHBC does not regulate a company recognised under HESPR. ‘Recognition’ under HESPR allows the IHBC to acknowledge a company’s historic environment service on the basis of a corresponding professional endorsement by an employee of that company, the Designated Service Adviser (DSA), who is a Full Member of the IHBC and is employed by that company.

The HESPR mechanism involves the creation of an operational link between the IHBC and the corporate body through an identified IHBC member, the ‘designated service adviser’ who is formally responsible for the oversight of the standards in operation of their company.

The IHBC has no powers to regulate or discipline companies; the IHBC can only terminate recognition. However the institute can and will in any case regulate the activities of the Full Member who serves as the DSA in line with their professional responsibilities to observe the IHBC’s standards, in particular the institute’s Code of Conduct. Indeed as a charity and professional body the IHBC has a responsibility to regulate such professional operations under its Memorandum and Articles of Association. Thus, through HESPR, the IHBC will provide a mechanism within which companies can advertise an intention to maintain, adopt and support IHBC standards and carry out work in line with those standards.

HESPR is not and cannot attempt to be a guarantee of wider corporate standards, a guarantee of security (such as assurance that insurances are held) or a guarantee of standards of pay to company employees. It explicitly does not scrutinise or assess the wider business operations of an organisation, in particular those that are covered by other regulators.

Information described is supplied directly by the recognised companies and is reproduced in good faith. The Institute of Historic Building Conservation accepts no liability for any loss or damage that may result from any use of the HESPR or any subsequent appointment based upon the its contents

In summary, HESPR is a service for historic environment companies that promotes a proper standard allows companies to subscribe to appropriate standards of professional practice in the historic environment, in line with the IHBC’s Code of Conduct and associated standards, and through the IHBC acknowledge publicly their support of the IHBC’s standards, thereby securing and raising standards of professional historic environment conservation.

Further details on the service can be found in the Terms of Reference.