Climate Change and the Historic Environment: Planning for Change

Climate Change and the Historic Environment: Planning for Change

Climate Change and the Historic Environment: Planning for Change
November 12, 2026

Climate change is already affecting the historic environment. Flooding, extreme heat, drought, ground movement, coastal change and changes in vegetation can all affect the survival and management of heritage assets, buried archaeology and historic landscapes.


For our Heritage team, responding to climate change means more than recording risks. It is an opportunity to help clients plan for change, protect what matters and support nature recovery and low-carbon development.


An integrated approach to climate resilience


At TEP, our heritage specialists work alongside colleagues in arboriculture, ecology, landscape management and blue-green infrastructure. Together, we consider heritage, climate resilience, biodiversity, water management and long-term stewardship as connected priorities, rather than separate issues.

How we support clients


We support clients by:



  • preparing conservation management plans that address climate resilience for historic buildings, designed landscapes, parks, gardens, estates and heritage sites;
  • advising on protecting archaeology while enhancing habitats, soils, trees, watercourses and green infrastructure;
  • assessing the heritage implications of renewable energy schemes and associated infrastructure, including solar farms, wind farms, battery storage and grid connections;
  • identifying how historic buildings and landscapes can adapt to future climate risks while conserving their significance;
  • advising on energy efficiency improvements and adaptations in historic buildings;
  • supporting land managers, developers, local authorities and communities with proportionate, practical heritage advice from early feasibility through to delivery; and
  • bringing archaeology, built heritage, landscape, ecology, arboriculture and climate resilience together in one joined-up strategy.



Supporting projects of every scale


Our work ranges from strategic, large-scale commissions to advice for individual property owners. We prepare conservation management plans for estates, parks, gardens, and other complex heritage assets, helping clients plan for long-term climate resilience and sustainable change. At the same time, we support smaller projects, including securing Listed Building Consent for measures such as heat pumps, retrofit, and other energy-efficiency improvements in listed buildings or Conservation Areas. Whether a project involves a single heritage asset or an extensive historic landscape, we provide practical, proportionate advice tailored to its needs.


Heritage as part of a living landscape


An integrated approach to climate adaptation recognises that heritage places are part of living landscapes, with cultural, ecological, social and environmental value. By working across disciplines, we can help projects respond to climate change in ways that are practical, sensitive and deliverable.


Planning a conservation management plan, land management project, renewable energy scheme or wider climate resilience strategy? Get in touch with our Heritage team to explore the risks, opportunities and heritage considerations from the outset.

October 30, 2026
Built in 1873 as part of the former Whittingham Asylum, the Grade II listed Church of St John has stood within the Whittingham landscape for more than 150 years. Designed by Manchester architect Henry Littler, the church remained in use until the hospital closed in 1995. Today, its significance lies not only in its architecture and historic associations, but in the surviving details that tell the story of the building, from stencilled decoration and high-quality timberwork to its distinctive cast-iron columns. To help inform the church’s future management, TEP’s Historic Environment and Archaeology team was commissioned to prepare a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for Homes England. The work began with understanding what makes the building significant. An onsite appraisal and condition review were combined with an assessment of its heritage significance, including the contribution made by its setting. This allowed the team to identify important surviving features and consider the issues affecting the building before translating that evidence into practical principles for its ongoing management.
October 13, 2026
Growing People CIC at Lanjeth Nursery received a TEP Environment Grant to help improve access to the organisation's restored pond habitats in Cornwall.
October 6, 2026
TEP's Environment Grant was established to support projects that inspire environmental learning, raise awareness of environmental issues and encourage positive action. Since launching in 2020, the grant has supported 17 projects across the UK, helping individuals, community groups and organisations bring environmental ideas to life. Now in its seventh year, the grant received a record 102 applications from across the UK. Following a detailed review process, funding has been awarded to two projects that stood out for their innovative approaches to community engagement, environmental awareness and learning.
October 30, 2026
Built in 1873 as part of the former Whittingham Asylum, the Grade II listed Church of St John has stood within the Whittingham landscape for more than 150 years. Designed by Manchester architect Henry Littler, the church remained in use until the hospital closed in 1995. Today, its significance lies not only in its architecture and historic associations, but in the surviving details that tell the story of the building, from stencilled decoration and high-quality timberwork to its distinctive cast-iron columns. To help inform the church’s future management, TEP’s Historic Environment and Archaeology team was commissioned to prepare a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for Homes England. The work began with understanding what makes the building significant. An onsite appraisal and condition review were combined with an assessment of its heritage significance, including the contribution made by its setting. This allowed the team to identify important surviving features and consider the issues affecting the building before translating that evidence into practical principles for its ongoing management.
October 13, 2026
Growing People CIC at Lanjeth Nursery received a TEP Environment Grant to help improve access to the organisation's restored pond habitats in Cornwall.
October 30, 2026
Built in 1873 as part of the former Whittingham Asylum, the Grade II listed Church of St John has stood within the Whittingham landscape for more than 150 years. Designed by Manchester architect Henry Littler, the church remained in use until the hospital closed in 1995. Today, its significance lies not only in its architecture and historic associations, but in the surviving details that tell the story of the building, from stencilled decoration and high-quality timberwork to its distinctive cast-iron columns. To help inform the church’s future management, TEP’s Historic Environment and Archaeology team was commissioned to prepare a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for Homes England. The work began with understanding what makes the building significant. An onsite appraisal and condition review were combined with an assessment of its heritage significance, including the contribution made by its setting. This allowed the team to identify important surviving features and consider the issues affecting the building before translating that evidence into practical principles for its ongoing management.
October 13, 2026
Growing People CIC at Lanjeth Nursery received a TEP Environment Grant to help improve access to the organisation's restored pond habitats in Cornwall.
October 6, 2026
TEP's Environment Grant was established to support projects that inspire environmental learning, raise awareness of environmental issues and encourage positive action. Since launching in 2020, the grant has supported 17 projects across the UK, helping individuals, community groups and organisations bring environmental ideas to life. Now in its seventh year, the grant received a record 102 applications from across the UK. Following a detailed review process, funding has been awarded to two projects that stood out for their innovative approaches to community engagement, environmental awareness and learning.