Member Article

Top historic building accreditation for York surveyor

A SPECIALIST conservation accreditation confirming high-quality work on historic buildings, held by only a handful of Yorkshire property professionals, has been awarded to a York surveyor.

RICS Historic Building Professional Certification from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), achieved by only 100 people in the UK and Ireland, has been awarded to senior building surveyor at property and construction consultants, The LHL Group, Julie Cater.

The prestigious accreditation, previously known as RICS Building Conservation Accreditation, is the first of its kind at LHL Group and enables Julie Cater to be listed on an RICS register of historic property specialists judged to work at the highest standards of building conservation.

To gain the accreditation, Julie Cater had to submit a detailed critical analysis of five case studies of her work on historic buildings relating to guidance by the International Council on Monuments and Sites’ (ICOMOS).

The analysis had to cover each project’s cultural significance, aesthetic qualities and values; its investigation, materials and technology; the implementation and management of the conservation works and details of the associated social and financial issues.

Julie Cater’s selected projects included the repair and cleaning of the Grade II* John Carr stand at York Racecourse; repairs at Grade II* and Scheduled Ancient Monument, Flamborough Old Lighthouse, Flamborough Head; survey work at Grade 1 listed, West Octagon, Castle Howard; the Living Heritage Project at the Grades 1 and II listed Bar Convent, York, and refurbishment and conservation work at an 18th century, Grade II listed farmhouse at Harome.

Julie Cater, who has worked on dozens of historic buildings and gained the RICS Postgraduate Diploma in Building Conservation in 2004, says: “Understanding an historic building or environment thoroughly is vital for delivering maintenance, repairs or managing alterations, such as the introduction of cafes, shops, WCs or disabled facilities, to secure their future and enhance their character as part of meeting 21st century needs.

“I’m very proud to have achieved the long-term personal goal of gaining this accreditation. After working for many years with historic buildings in conjunction with studying technology and international building conservation philosophy, I’m now accredited to advise historic building owners and trustees based on recognised detailed knowledge. This is a considerable responsibility, leading the custodianship of our architectural heritage.”

The LHL Group, which works on a wide range of commercial, residential, industrial and heritage projects throughout the North, also has offices in Hull, Harrogate and Doncaster.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mike Clarke .