Heritage Could Help Add £2.7 Billion to Northern Economy
Heritage working together with the arts, culture, nature and environment sectors could provide an extra £2.7 billion to the Northern economy, helping to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and regenerate the North.
This is according to the NP11 group of 11 northern local enterprise partnerships (LEPs), which has worked with Historic England, as well as Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Environment Agency to develop a cohesive ‘Place Strategy for the North’.
Heritage – alongside arts, culture and nature - makes an important contribution to economic growth and job creation across the North, as well as other major national priorities such as meeting net zero targets, regenerating town and city centres and boosting pride and wellbeing among communities.
The Strategy sets out how a strengthened place proposition will boost investment and relocation interest, future prosperity and sustainability, and identifies the potential to add £2.7 billion GVA (Gross Value Added) to the Northern economy on top of the £10.4 billion already generated by the North’s arts, culture and heritage sectors.
The North is made of a thousand special places, from Hadrian's Wall to Sheffield’s Park Hill Flats and from Wigan Pier to Hull Old Town. Each one can play its part in growing our economy and our wellbeing. This strategy gives us a framework to work in collaboration with partners to maximise the economic and social potential of these historic sites and create thriving places across the north.
Historic England now will work with the NP11 and partners, in collaboration with organisations across the North, to put the strategy and associated delivery plan into action. Key opportunities include capturing a greater share of domestic tourism spend for the North and incentivising the reuse and retrofitting of heritage buildings.
