The Local Heritage List helps to protect buildings, sites and structures that local people regard as important – from medieval cottages to unusual postboxes. Somerset residents are being invited to nominate what’s valuable in their community as part of a new project being delivered by the South West Heritage Trust.

Somerset and Exmoor National Park were chosen by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as one of 22 national pilots for a Local Heritage List Project. The Local Heritage List is different from the national statutory list. It focuses on buildings, sites and structures that local people regard as important. Local listing will stop locally significant sites from being overlooked, and will offer some increased protections through the planning system.

Mary Andrews, Local Heritage List Project Manager, said: “Anyone can have a say in deciding what’s valuable to their community by nominating a site. Nominations might feature rare materials or historical connections and could be anything from a factory to a front doorstep, a postbox to a historic landscape. Places where important events took place, or where minority identities are celebrated, are also promising candidates. The key thing is that the site matters to the life and culture of the local community.”

There are several ways to make a nomination, including through the ‘Know Your Place’ website, or by post or email. Find out more at: https://swheritage.org.uk/historic-environment-service/local-heritage-list/