Company History

BEAMS - Built Environment Advisory and Management Service

In 1963, Hertfordshire County Council, in collaboration with the local district councils, set up the Hertfordshire Building Preservation Trust as a registered charity which aimed to preserve historic buildings in the county. Since then, the Trust has rescued and restored derelict historic buildings in the county for more than 40 years.

BEAMS is the trading company of Hertfordshire Building Preservation Trust. Launched in 1993, BEAMS was set up to specifically to assist local authorities, architects, surveyors, building contractors, developers, owners of historic buildings and others with the conservation of the built environment. The company has its origins in the Design and Conservation Team which, until 1996, had been employed by the County Council for over forty years. In 1989 the County Council seconded the team to the Trust to ensure the most effective support possible for local authorities in their design and conservation functions. BEAMS, together with the district & borough councils offer a great diversity of specialist skills to safeguard the built heritage.

Working with the County Council
BEAMS works in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council to provide a range of conservation services, and also administrates and convenes the Hertfordshire Conservation Forum, the Architects Advisory Panel and The Civic Trust Awards for Hertfordshire. In addition, BEAMS has also compiled a database of specialists working with historic properties or employing techniques and skills used to maintain buildings.

Working with District Councils
The ten district/borough councils in Hertfordshire have statutory duties and responsibilities for local planning matters including design and conservation. For those councils that do not employ their own conservation teams, BEAMS provides a design and conservation consultancy service. Contracts are currently in place with five councils in Hertfordshire. Other councils call for assistance on matters including conservation area appraisals, character studies, supporting material for listing applications, survey and recording of historic buildings, litigation, enforcement, and expert witnesses for public inquiries.

Working with Listed Building Owners
BEAMS can provide information on a wide range of conservation matters; the team can explain what it means to own a listed building, planning policy and how it affects owners and their buildings, and direct enquirers to the appropriate contact within councils. The craft register can be a starting point for those commissioning repair work, while listed building details are available from the database. BEAMS can help owners to understand their buildings by providing detailed survey drawings identify the various phases of a building, thereby creating a fuller understanding of its history which is an important starting point for repair or alteration work. Building appraisals bring together survey work with archival research, which helps to achieve an understanding of a building’s individual and wider historical context.

Working with the public
Members of the public who live in conservation areas can call upon BEAMS for advice regarding planning policy affecting designated areas. There are many interesting unlisted historic buildings in Hertfordshire. Victorian and Edwardian buildings might not be listed now but may well be in the future. Owners of these can also get advice on sympathetic repairs and alterations. We all enjoy the character of our towns and villages created and enhanced by historical and architecturally interesting buildings. Members of the public can contact BEAMS if they have any queries about historic buildings, or if they have concerns about the condition of a building, or would like to get involved in looking after the built environment.

Working with National Organisations
The team works closely with national organisations such as English Heritage, the Royal Commission for Historical Monuments, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, SAVE Britain’s Heritage, and the Civic Trust.

Working outside Hertfordshire
The work of BEAM does not stop in Hertfordshire. As a trading company BEAMS is able to provide these services wherever requested and our client list has expanded in all directions. Building Surveys have been carried out as far a field as Egypt, where one of the BEAMS team has drawn and recorded two Coptic Monasteries on behalf of the American Research Centre in Egypt.

Working together
BEAMS in association with the Hertfordshire Association of Architects organises the  Design + Conservation Show. Since 1998 the show has been held over a weekend in March at Hatfield House. The show seeks to bring all those involved with historic buildings and, more recently, those concerned with the design of the built environment, together for a two day event. There is a range of exhibitions by craft and material specialists, demonstrations of traditional techniques, advice from councils and conservation experts, displays by museums and national organisations and seminars on a range of subjects by national specialists.