Recreational Activities NHPP Activity 2B3
Scope of research
Accidental or unthinking damage to England's heritage can be the regrettable by-product of some leisure activities. These leisure pursuits include "off-roading" (off road driving), sports diving, sailing, caving and metal-detecting (to be distinguished from criminal activities such as illicit metal-detecting known as 'nighthawking').
We assessed the effects of a range of land-based, marine and inter-tidal recreational activities on heritage assets and places, to inform forthcoming guidance.
Intended heritage protection results
This NHPP strand aimed to help protect our heritage by increasing awareness of the issues amongst leisure groups, relevant organisations and individuals.
Links to other NHPP activities
- Neglect Activity 2B1: poorly maintained buildings and sites can be put to formal or informal use to their detriment.
- Heritage Crime Activity 2B2: unintentional damage can itself be criminal activity, or can morph into criminal activity if unchecked.
- Sports and entertainment buildings and landscapes Activity 4C1.
- Battlefields Activity 4E1: battlefields are targets of unstructured and often inadequately recorded or unrecorded metal detecting.
- Ploughzone Archaeology Activity 4G2: fields in arable cultivation see the bulk of metal-detecting, including much that is unstructured or un/inadequately recorded.
- Submerged Heritage assets and landscapes Activity 4H1: these are subject to recreational diving activity and damage from anchors.
- Properties Change Management Activity 7A2: well-intentioned, but poorly informed proposals for recreational development/new business directions could potentially affect the EH estate, including properties in Local Management. Properties owned and managed by other organisations and individuals are potentially subject to similar impacts.
- Managing change in the historic environment Activity 6A: well-intentioned, but poorly informed proposals for recreational development can badly affect historic assets.