Informing Our Heritage Future(s): Preserving Our Digital Past(s)

This thesis, undertaken through an Arts and Humanities Research Council Collaborative Doctoral Partnership with Historic England, investigates the production, governance, and reuse of heritage data within the £200+ million High Street Heritage Action Zone programme (2020–2024), which aimed to revitalise 67 high streets across England. Focusing on case studies in Northallerton, Kirkham and Chester, alongside Historic England’s national coordination, the research examines how heritage data is created, managed, and preserved in large-scale, multi-stakeholder regeneration initiatives.
Using a mixed-methods approach, the study analyses the socio-technical systems shaping heritage data practices from national frameworks to local community projects. Findings reveal major disparities in data management, with below-ground archaeological data benefiting from structured workflows and deposition standards, while above-ground heritage data remains fragmented across planning portals with little systematic preservation.
Although Historic England’s Heritage Information Access Strategy (HIAS) offers guidance, implementation varied widely due to inconsistent governance and the absence of mandatory data management requirements. Priorities were regeneration of infrastructure and facades, community placemaking and creative engagement, with data management given little priority, leading to siloed storage, unclear ownership, and poor long-term access.
The research argues that governance frameworks, rather than technical or financial limitations, most strongly influence data accessibility and longevity. It explores what might reasonably be expected of large-scale heritage projects that generate valuable digital data, suggesting that future initiatives could benefit from aligning with nationally accepted FAIR data standards, and that resourcing and incentivising good data management through specifications, tender processes, training and guidance, in partnership with organisations such as the DPC, ADS and HERs, may offer a more sustainable path forward.
This is the first systematic analysis of data practices within a major UK heritage regeneration programme, demonstrating that sustainable digital legacies require treating heritage data as a strategic public asset demanding active, coordinated stewardship.