Heritage and Conservation work

Projects involving listed buildings and works within conservation areas

Close-up of deteriorated wall with exposed wood and concrete, showing layers of weathered and damaged material.

John Stebbing Architects provide specialist heritage and conservation services across Suffolk and East Anglia working with listed buildings, heritage assets, and buildings within conservation areas. Our work is informed by a detailed understanding of historic fabric, current planning policy and conservation guidance, enabling us to deliver robust, conservation-led design solutions.

We undertake Statements of Significance and prepare Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) in accordance with national and local policy requirements, including the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). These documents form a critical part of the planning and listed building consent process, clearly articulating the significance of heritage assets and the potential impact of proposed development.

Our conservation team develops conversion and alteration proposals for the adaptive reuse of listed buildings, ensuring that interventions are proportionate,, and sensitive to historic character. We regularly advise on works to listed buildings, as well as non-designated heritage assets, providing clear strategies for repair, alteration, and extension.

We collaborate closely with other Architects, Interior Designers and specialist building consultants, providing specialist heritage advice at all project stages—from feasibility through to detailed design, planning submissions, and on-site delivery.

An empty room with large windows, wooden beams on the ceiling, a brick fireplace, and tiled flooring, with sunlight coming through the windows.

Our Heritage Services Include:

  • Statements of Significance

  • Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA)

  • Listed Building Consent applications and planning support

  • Conservation-led design for alterations and extensions

  • Conversion and adaptive reuse of listed buildings

  • Advice on works to Grade I, II* and II listed buildings, as well as non-designated heritage assets and works within all heritage settings.

  • Conservation area appraisals and development advice

  • Technical repair specifications and schedules of work

  • Analysis of Historic fabric and significance

  • Collaboration with other Architects, Designers, and specialist consultants supporting planning applications and heritage projects.

  • Feasibility studies and heritage planning advice

With an RIBA Conservation Architect on board, we have vast experience of workng on listed buildings and heritage assets throughout historic towns and villages of Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire including Bury St Edmunds, Southwold and Woodbridge.

A two-story house with a peach-colored exterior, large multi-pane windows, and a red-tiled roof with two chimneys, surrounded by a garden with trees, shrubs, and benches.
Individuals wearing safety helmets examining and working on the damaged roof of a building with exposed wooden and brick framework due to roof damage or renovation.
A tall brick house with a steep gabled roof, multiple windows with decorative glass, and an standing television antenna on the roof. The front yard has grass, gravel, and some patches of soil.
A charming house with peach-colored stucco walls, gray window frames, and a gray front door. There are two flower pots with purple and white flowers next to the door. The roof has reddish-brown tiles and dormer windows. A small outdoor light is mounted above the door. The ground is gravel and the sky is clear blue.
A house under construction with orange stucco exterior and a large triangular upper window with two spherical light fixtures inside. The house has sliding glass doors and is surrounded by construction tools and materials.
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