Access and Charging Policy

Portsmouth Historic Environment Record Access and Charging Policy

1. Introduction

Content of the Historic Environment Record

The Portsmouth Historic Environment Record (HER) is the primary source of information relating to the historic environment of the City of Portsmouth. It includes a database that contains information about remains from the prehistoric period to the present day. The records provide information on buildings and other structures, earthworks, buried remains, stray finds, landscape features, archaeological investigations and historic sites that may have been destroyed or are known from documentary sources. The HER also contains information about nationally designated (listed buildings, registered parks and gardens and scheduled monuments), locally designated and undesignated heritage assets.

The HER holds supporting reference material including unpublished archaeology reports. Further reference material, such as excavation archives, slides and photographs, are held in the Portsmouth Museum Service archaeology collection.

The HER is managed by Portsmouth City Council's Museum Service. 


Mapped Data

The HER consists of a computer database linked to a series of digital maps held as Geographic Information System (GIS) files. The maps contain geographical depictions of sites recorded on the database. 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.


Access

The HER is based at Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery. You can request information from the HER in a number of different ways:

  • By telephone: 02392 834779
  • By letter: Portsmouth Museum & Art Gallery, Museum Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2LJ

HER Searches are undertaken remotely and the results can be emailed, posted or collected in person from Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery. 

Reference material held in the HER and museum collections can be accessed in person by prior appointment at Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery.

Access to the information held by the HER is available under the provision of the Equality Act 2010. Please discuss any special requirements with the HER so that we can do our best to accommodate your needs.


Searching the HER

HER searches provide information selected from the record, normally for a defined geographical area, although bespoke searches can also be done for particular 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.

HER data can be supplied in a variety of formats including:

  •  PDF documents, XML files and csv files (generally for specific aspects of the raw HER data)
  •  ESRI shapefiles or MapInfo TAB files for HER mapping data
  •  PDF copies of GIS generated maps (where ESRI shapefiles or MapInfo TAB files are not supplied)

Data requirements can be discussed at the time of submitting an enquiry.


2. Conditions of Use

Introduction 

Portsmouth City Council is committed to the protection, conservation and enhancement of the historic environment. In order to ensure that information from the Portsmouth 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. Portsmouth HER users are requested to inform Portsmouth City Council of the following, in writing:

(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.
Enquiries can be submitted by email to HER@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.

2. Users will be required to complete a Data Licence Agreement for the use of HER data and agree to the terms and conditions therein.
  
3. A service charge is made for staff time incurred undertaking searches for commercial enquiries to the Portsmouth HER. 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.

4. The Portsmouth HER is the copyright of Portsmouth City 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.

5. It is a condition of the provision of HER data that a copy of any resulting research, including reports, documents or other publications will be supplied to the HER so that these can be made available to other users.

6. Users are requested to inform, and to make their research available to the Portsmouth HER where new archaeological sites or data are discovered as a result of their work.

7. Users are requested to make appropriate acknowledgement of the Portsmouth HER in any publication or report which has made use of its data.

8. While efforts have been made to verify the data held in the Portsmouth HER, Portsmouth City Council cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of any particular data and its source.

9. Portsmouth City 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.

10. Portsmouth City 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.

11. The boundaries of Scheduled Monuments, Listed Buildings and Registered Parks and Gardens shown on maps supplied by the HER are intended only as a guide. For definitive information on Scheduled Monuments, Listed Buildings and other designated assets enquirers should visit The National Heritage List for England

12. Access to all or part of the information requested may be refused in certain circumstances.

12.1 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 Portsmouth City Council;

(c) it is contained in a document or other record which is still in the course of completion

12.2 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

13. A request for information may be refused if it is manifestly unreasonable or is formulated in too general a manner.

14. Every endeavour is made to respond to enquiries within 10 working days.


Complaints procedure

Complaints are handled under the Portsmouth City Council Corporate Complaints Policy. If you have any complaint about the service you have received, in the first instance please contact:

Rebecca Wallis
Collections Manager
Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery
Museum Road
Portsmouth
PO1 2LJ
Telephone: 023 92834779


3. Charging Policy

A search fee is normally only made where the enquiry is for commercial or profit-making purposes. The fee is to cover staff time to extract information from the HER and make it available in a suitable format and to cover related administration costs. This will vary according to the nature of the enquiry and a quote will be supplied prior to commencement of a search.

For most other users, such as members of the public and students carrying out personal research, there is no search fee unless the enquiry is particularly complicated or time consuming to deal with. In such cases any charge will be agreed before the work is carried out.

Requests for data will normally be completed within 10 working days unless the size or nature of the query requires a greater time to respond. In such circumstances this will be discussed with the enquirer at the earliest opportunity.

The HER is not able to offer a priority search service.


Scale of Charges

The current rate for the HER service is £60 plus VAT per hour and £30 plus VAT per additional half hour. There is a minimum fee per enquiry of £60 plus VAT.

A request made for additional information for a completed search, such as a change of search radius/area, inclusion of data previously excluded at the request of the enquirer, or the creation of PDF maps when only GIS files had been requested, will be treated as a new search request and subject to an additional search fee.

These rates are subject to review. Prices correct at 01/04/2026.


Method of Payment

Following completion of the search an invoice will be sent to the HER user by Portsmouth City Council. Payment for the HER search will be specified on the invoice. A purchase order or job number will be requested so that it can be quoted on the invoice. A PDF copy of the purchase order should be included with the enquiry where applicable so that this can be attached to the invoice.


Incidental Expenses

All HER users may be liable for incidental expenses such as photocopying, printing and postage. The costs are as follows: -

Photocopying/Printing:

  • £0.50 per A4 sheet
  • £1.00 per A3 sheet

Postage: Users may be charged postage depending on the number of copies requested. This will be discussed with the user prior to any charge being made.

Scanning Grey Literature: Scanning grey literature reports is charged by the half hour (£30 plus VAT)


4. Privacy Notice

Portsmouth City Council is a registered Data Controller (Registration Number Z5578313).

Personal information collected by the Portsmouth City Council Historic Environment Record will be collected and used in accordance with Portsmouth City Council's Corporate Privacy Notice.

Details of retention periods for Historic Environment Record data are recorded on the Portsmouth City Council Corporate Retention Schedule.