Heritage conservation officer: role and pay
A heritage conservation officer protects the historic environment: listed buildings, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens. Most heritage COs work in local authority planning departments under Section 69-72 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.
Day-to-day duties
- Listed Building Consent (LBC) applications: assessment, conditions, post-determination monitoring.
- Conservation Area appraisals and management plans.
- Section 215 enforcement (untidy land/building) and Section 215 cases.
- Pre-application advice for property owners and developers.
- Heritage At Risk reporting (in partnership with Historic England).
IHBC accreditation
The Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) is the recognised professional body. Full Membership (MIHBC) is a portfolio-and-peer-review accreditation; it is the most commonly named qualification on senior heritage CO job adverts and typically lifts the band by SCP 3-5.
Employers
Local authority planning departments employ most heritage COs; Historic England, the National Trust (built-heritage estate), and a small number of national park authorities cover the rest. Private-sector heritage consultancy is the smaller side of the market.