Insall practice director Cordula Zeidler joins the Historic England Advisory Committee

Cordula Zeidler, who heads our London heritage consultancy, is one of five new panel members to join the Historic England Advisory Committee (HEAC). The committee offers expert advice to staff and Historic England’s Commission on their functions under the National Heritage Act 1983, and other relevant legislation, particularly policy matters and casework outside of London where it is novel, contentious or sets a precedent.

Cordula strikes a delicate balance between understanding the past and helping to shape new development. Her expertise as an advisor stems from working within vastly different contexts, ranging from the necessity to accommodate Parliament in a working building, to keeping the buildings in London’s Great Estates desirable and competitive, to the pressures of giving derelict buildings in economically disadvantaged areas a new lease of life.

She has spent the last few years championing ways for built heritage to become resilient to climate change. She is the co-author of Heritage and Carbon, a report produced with the Grosvenor Estate, endorsed by the National Trust, Peabody, and the Crown Estate. It set out current inconsistencies that hold the sector back from making progress at scale, and what needs to be done to adapt our building stock faster. This helped to inform and challenge debates on heritage protection and climate adaptation.

“The most important element of design advice, in my view, is to come to a joint conclusion with peers and build consensus, so that the review process can result in a fruitful and positive outcome, ultimately improving the state of the historic environment. I look forward to contributing to a collaborative review process, providing insight into the pressures of development – which I am familiar with through my work – while championing and protecting our heritage.” —Cordula Zeidler, Donald Insall Associates practice director.