Better Places Partnership
On this page, you can find information about the Better Places Partnership which offered support to organisations including local authorities in delivering culture, heritage, and sport-led regeneration projects from April 2023 until November 2024.
Thank you for your interest in the Better Places Partnership. The Partnership was funded to run until the end of November 2024, after which support to local authorities ended. You can find information about the Partnership's work, advice packages, case studies, and resources from our peer learning programme below and on Historic England's Heritage and Regeneration Hub.
About the service
From April 2023, 7 Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) arm’s length bodies – Historic England, Arts Council England, Sport England, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, The National Lottery Community Fund, VisitEngland and the British Film Institute – joined forces to provide support and advice to councils and communities delivering culture-led regeneration projects as beneficiaries of the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund.
With funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Better Places Service team collaborated with councils and other stakeholders to deliver funded projects by signposting existing guidance, developing packages of practical support, and facilitating knowledge sharing among project owners and stakeholders.
The Levelling Up Fund invested in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK, regenerating town centres and high streets and investing in cultural and heritage assets. Over £3.8 billion of funding was awarded for 216 projects across 2 rounds.
Who was eligible for the service?
The service was available to all organisations in England who were recipients of Rounds 1 and 2 of the Levelling Up Fund. We also provided advice to a number of other projects supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The full list of eligible projects included:
- Round 1 list of successful bidders
- Round 2 list of successful bidders
- Capital Regeneration Projects (announced in the Spring Statement 2023
- Local Authorities and Mayoral Combined Authorities in receipt of UK Shared Prosperity Funding.
- the Levelling Up Partnerships
A team of co-ordinators and advisors provided expertise and resources in addition to accessing specialist support from the 7 arm’s length bodies through 5 Area Towns Groups.
The service was not able to provide resources or funding to help directly with project delivery; however, we did signpost other existing funding sources available from partner bodies.
Our advice and support
The service was able to provide advice and support on a wide range of topics, including:
- Master planning and place-shaping
- Urban design and regeneration
- Collaborative community engagement, co-design and animating capital spaces/projects
- Development economics relating to heritage, sport, or arts
- Operating/Business models of cultural facilities
- Access and inclusion on cultural capital developments
- Architectural design development (RIBA Plan of Work)
- Highways and Public Realm design principles
- Heritage conservation and archaeological risk management
- Programme/project management for cultural capital projects
- Sustainable cultural programming and audience development
- Retrofitting (zero carbon) measures
- Developing investment plans to support UK Shared Prosperity Fund recipients
Peer learning resources
The Better Places Partnership Peer Learning Programme gave local authorities and groups the opportunity to share ideas and learnings with colleagues, like-minded people, and subject matter experts.
Speaker sessions from peer learning events were recorded and are available below alongside the presentations. The views expressed in these videos are solely those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Historic England. Any mention of products, services, or companies does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Historic England.
Levelling Up libraries
Sustainable operational management of visitor attractions, heritage sites, and museums in Levelling Up-funded projects
Heritage- and culture-led regeneration in coastal communities
- Culture-led Regeneration, 1930s Style’: Investing in the Arts on the South-East Coast
- Regeneration by the BarrowFull: Strong Cultural and Community Partnerships in Westmorland and Furness
- A Leading Light in Heritage Regeneration: Think Lowestoft
- Creative Coastal Connections – Working Together in Lincolnshire
