Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. Heritage Places is our £200million commitment to help make this happen in areas, towns and cities across the UK.

Since launching the initiative in 2023, we've identified 15 places with the right combination of need, opportunity and potential that we're supporting to put heritage at the heart of their local plans. Many are already underway with feasibility studies, building local partnerships or community engagement.

We are working with lead partners in each Heritage Place. Organisations from Orkney to Torbay are coming together to lay the foundations for a decade of transformation. Let's meet one of the lead partners to hear more about how plans are developing.

Leading the regeneration of Belfast Historic Waterfront

The vision for how Belfast Historic Waterfront – announced as a Heritage Place in October 2025 – can be transformed through the celebration and sharing of heritage has been developed by the Maritime Belfast Trust, our local lead partner. Heritage Places funding is the latest step in a long-established journey towards making this vision a reality.

“Since 2020, we’ve been working with all our key players – from landowners to local community groups,” explains the Trust’s CEO, Kerrie Sweeney. “We’ve undertaken a detailed survey and mapping project of the area’s heritage, speaking to groups of former dock and shipyard workers and consulting maps dating back to the 1600s.”

This research has contributed to The Maritime Belfast Story Plan, which details 118 heritage sites across the waterfront. The plan is a cornerstone of a waterfront framework to inspire creativity and new ideas, supporting local groups, businesses and developers to get involved in the process of heritage-led regeneration.

Alongside this research, Kerrie and the team have focused on building a trusted group of local partners, which will be valuable to the delivery of Heritage Places projects.

“As a charity with heritage at our heart, we have no commercial interest, just a vision for how the waterfront can thrive. As such, we’ve been able to position ourselves as a neutral broker in building the broad coalition needed to deliver the next stage of the waterfront’s regeneration. Our partners appreciate the heritage and what we’re trying to achieve, so we’ve been able to bring both the private and public sectors to the table to work together.”

What have our Heritage Places partners been working on?

Heritage Places is putting heritage at the centre of these collaborative local approaches to improving people’s connection to where they live, work and visit.

Our lead partners play an important role – not gatekeeping, but working alongside stakeholders and communities to define and support the delivery of what their area wants to achieve.

Most lead partners have started by applying for heritage project grants focused on engaging communities and stakeholders with the aim of developing a long-term vision, increasing capacity, strengthening connections and trialling new activities.  

For example:

• Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council has undertaken a programme of research and engagement to better understand what heritage means to local people. It’s developing a 10-year heritage strategy for its ongoing protection, maintenance and development.  
• Glasgow Life and Glasgow City Council have prioritised planning, feasibility and engagement work to preserve heritage at risk on Sauchiehall Street. The project is using culture and heritage to drive economic regeneration.
• North East Lincolnshire Council is looking to boost the skills and capacity needed to protect the natural salt marsh and sand dune environments of the Humber Estuary.

Starting your Heritage Places journey

Grant applications are welcome from projects big and small based in any of our Heritage Places. If you’re considering applying, we’re here to help you develop your application. Remember:

• Start by getting in touch with your local Heritage Fund team. Together, you can talk through the local context and the team can put you in touch with your local lead partner.
• The needs of your local community are important to consider when planning your project. Make sure activities are inclusive and have a sustainable impact.
• Applications for Heritage Places projects are made using our National Lottery Heritage Grants process. For grants up to £250,000, we recommend submitting a project enquiry for feedback on your project idea before you apply.
• When you’re ready to submit your Heritage Places application, you will need to start your project title with #HP and upload a letter of support from your local lead partner. That doesn’t mean you report to them, but shows that local plans are joined up. Heritage Places is a model for how different projects, large and small, can work collectively towards shared ambitions for an area.

Need inspiration?

Head to our Heritage Places page for more information on how to apply.

Our Grantee Q&A series provides ideas and advice directly from successful projects of all different shapes and sizes. Explore recent examples below.