[HBP#39] - Zoe Hooton & Jess Barrow - Architect + Heritage Consultant: Two Experts, One Mission - Heritage Buildings Podcast | Lyssna här

🎙️ You can also access the full Audio version of this Podcast by searching for 'Heritage Buildings Podcast' on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, PocketCasts, and your favourite podcast apps.

Welcome to the Heritage Buildings Podcast!

In this episode, Vincent Reed sits down with Zoe Hooton, Specialist Conservation Architect and Director at HPA Architects and Woohoo, alongside Jessica Barrow, Heritage Consultant and Director at both HPA Architects and Woohoo.

They discuss how conservation architects and heritage consultants work together to deliver successful listed building, historic building conservation, and heritage planning projects. From early collaboration and pre-application advice to working with conservation officers, they share practical insights into navigating the UK planning system.

The conversation also explores the challenges facing heritage conservation, including inconsistent planning decisions, reduced conservation resources, managing change in historic buildings, and balancing heritage significance with modern requirements. They also share lessons from their work on Lancaster Castle's Well Tower (Witches' Tower).

Topics covered include:

• What does a conservation architect do?

• The role of a heritage consultant in listed building projects

• Historic building conservation and adaptive reuse

• Listed Building Consent and heritage planning permission

• Working with conservation officers and local planning authorities

• Heritage statements, significance assessments, and public benefit

• Pre-application advice and avoiding planning delays

• Managing change in historic buildings and conservation best practice

• Challenges facing UK heritage planning after COVID-19

• Conservation of Lancaster Castle's Well Tower (Witches' Tower)

• Balancing accessibility, archaeology, fire safety, and conservation

• Why collaboration leads to better heritage outcomes

Whether you're an architect, heritage consultant, planning professional, building surveyor, student, or simply passionate about historic buildings, listed buildings, and heritage conservation, this episode offers valuable insights into conserving Britain's built heritage.

Below is a more detailed breakdown of the video with relevant timestamps

(Click the time on the left to jump straight to that section)

00:00 Podcast Introduction

01:35 Meet Zoe and Jess

02:16 How They First Met

04:19 From Council to Collaboration

08:26 Architect vs Heritage Consultant

11:33 Managed Change and Tradeoffs

14:45 Team Decisions and Stakeholders

18:01 Working Together With Clients

21:41 Pre-Application Advice Explained

23:48 Planning System Frustrations