Access and Charging Policy (updated 03/04/2023)
Content of the Historic Environment Record:
Nottinghamshire County Council maintains the Historic Environment Record for the County of Nottinghamshire. The Historic Environment Record (HER) is the primary source of information about the historic environment in the County. It includes a database that contains more than 25000 records with information about remains from the prehistoric period to the present day. These provide information on nationally designated (conservation areas, listed buildings, registered parks and gardens and scheduled monuments), locally designated and undesignated heritage assets. Full details of the remit and content of the record can be found in the HER’s Information/Recording Policy (LINK).
Mapped data
The database is linked to a series of digital maps held as Geographic Information System (GIS) files. The maps contain geographical depictions of all sites on the database, ranging from simple point locations to complex plots of extensive sites such as ancient field systems. Maps provided from the HER GIS are for information purposes only. Due to Ordnance Survey copyright restrictions this mapping must not be reproduced in researcher’s own reports.
How do I access the HER?
The HER is based at County Hall in West Bridgford. You can get information from the HER in a number of different ways, such as online, by letter, email, or telephone, or make an appointment to visit in person.
The HER office is located on the lower ground floor of County Hall though it is accessible by lift from the ground floor reception area. We can also arrange for ground floor visitor accommodation without impacting on the range of HER resources by prior arrangement.
Opening times
The HER is open Monday to Friday, 10am to 3pm. If you wish to visit in person you will need to telephone first to make an appointment and make sure that someone is available; please call 0115 9932589. An appointment can normally be arranged within 5 working days. The HER Officer will endeavour to assist in establishing whether a visit is advisable but cannot be expected to undertake detailed assessment of the relevance of specific material).
Facilities
If you choose to visit the HER in person we have a computer with a printer and scanner available for you to use. The HER Officer will assist you and make you familiar with the equipment, if you choose to use it. Details of charges for photocopying and printing can be found in section 3.3.
There is a range of additional resources available to visitors, including hard copy maps, archaeological reports, aerial photographs, ground photographs, local journals and a small reference library.
Searching the HER
Historic Environment Record (HER) searches provide information selected from the record, normally for a defined area, although bespoke searches can also be done for specific periods or types of records. The HER includes both digital and hard copy information and references to other sources held outside the HER. It is constantly being enhanced and the absence of a record should not be relied upon as indicating a lack of heritage interest, other national or specialist sources may contain information not held or indexed.
Conditions of Use
Nottinghamshire County Council is committed to the protection, conservation and enhancement of the historic environment. In order to ensure that information from the Nottinghamshire County Council] HER is used responsibly, those applying to consult it are requested to provide details about the nature of their enquiry and to follow the Guidance for Users outlined below. Please note that permission to use the HER may be refused or limited in certain circumstances.
Guidance for Users
1. Nottinghamshire HER users are requested to inform Nottinghamshire County Council of the following, in writing or online by submitting the below details:
(a) the subject and purpose of their enquiry;
(b) the use to which the information will be put; and
(c) the names of any other bodies or individuals outside their organisation to whom it is intended to pass HER information.
2. A tiered hourly charge is made for enquiries to the HER but this is normally waived for enquiries for non-commercial, educational or personal research, except where searches require extensive work. The costs of paper, printing and other incidental expenses may be charged to all users.
3. The Nottinghamshire HER is the copyright of Nottinghamshire County Council.
Some information held in the HER may also be the copyright of others. It is the user’s responsibility to ensure that copyright law is not breached.
4. Users are requested to inform, and to make their research available to the Nottinghamshire HER where new archaeological sites or data are discovered as a result of their work.
5. Users are requested to make appropriate acknowledgement of the Nottinghamshire HER in any publication or report which has made use of its data.
6. While efforts have been made to verify the data held in the Nottinghamshire HER, Nottinghamshire County Council cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of any particular data and its source.
7. Nottinghamshire county Council accepts that there may be a requirement to treat certain enquiries in confidence. Equally, the HER expects that users will not pass on information in an irresponsible or unethical manner.
8. Nottinghamshire County Council reserves all rights of Copyright which are owned in the material provided. Dissemination to a third party without the written consent of the Historic Environment Record Officer is a breach of copyright. Information supplied shall be used for the specified purposes only.
9. Access to all or part of the information requested may be refused in certain circumstances.
9.1 Information may not be disclosed if:
(a) it relates to the subject matter of any legal or other proceedings, actual or prospective (including Local Planning Inquiries);
(b) it relates to confidential, internal communications of Nottinghamshire County council;
(c) it is contained in a document or other record which is still in the course of completion
9.2 Information will not be disclosed if:
(a) it was supplied to the Council by another party who was under no legal obligation to do so and could not have been put under any legal obligation to supply it and has not consented to its disclosure;
(b) its disclosure would increase the likelihood of damage to the environment affecting anything to which the information relates
10. A request for information may be refused if it is manifestly unreasonable or is formulated in too general a manner.
11. Every endeavour is made to respond to enquiries within 5 working days.
Nottinghamshire County Council HER Charges
Our current rates are.
- Visitor search (Research, Interest, local community group) - No Charge
- Commercial Visitor – Up to one hour No Charge, £50 plus VAT for each hour thereafter if HER staff assistance is required.
- Commercial searches undertaken by HER staff - £120 plus VAT for a Standard HER Search (1km Buffer or up to 150 Monument Records) £50 plus VAT per hour thereafter. Users who are charged will be invoiced.
Incidental expense
All HER users may be liable for incidental expenses such as photocopying, printing, compact discs and postage. The costs are as follows:-
Photocopying/Printing £0.10 per A4 sheet, £0.20 per A3 sheet
Postage Users may be charged postage if search exceeds ? pages. Please contact the HER for further details.
These rates are subject to review. Prices correct at 1 April 2019.
GDPR
The Nottinghamshire HER does not actively collect or record personal data, outside of that which is provided through the process of enquiry. The HER adheres to Nottinghamshire County Council’s general policy’s on GDPR and all HER staff are required to undertake annual training in this area.
More information on the Councils Privacy Policy can be found on the link below
https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/global-content/privacy
Equality Act 2010
In line with the Equalities Act (2010) and Nottinghamshire County Council’s Policies on the matter the HER aims to provide its services fairly and without discrimination. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments so that services are available to everyone who needs them. All people who access the HER will be treated fairly and without discrimination; discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, race, religion or belief (or any other unjustifiable criterion) will not be tolerated.
More information on the Councils Equality Policy can be found on the link below
https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/jobs-and-working/equality/our-commitment-to-equality
Complaints procedure
If you have any complaints about the service you have received please contact the County Council’s complaints team.
telephone: 0300 500 80 80
email: complaints@nottscc.gov.uk
write to: Complaints and Information Team, County Hall, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 7QP