Jess Barrow, our Heritage Director, recently attended UKREiiF. Here are some of her thoughts from her time at the event.

UKREiiF brought together real estate professionals from across the nation, and while the weather might have been drizzly in Leeds, the buzz and excitement certainly carried everyone through.

I spent three days meeting up with faces old and new, in between attending panels, with my biggest challenge being choosing which pavilion to frequent, given the delivery of the most overwhelming event calendar I have ever experienced. The key message from the event was clear: everyone has the ambition to deliver.

No matter what sector, no matter what profession. It was also abundantly clear that delivery means nothing without people. People mean activation. People bring meaning. People deliver that feeling and experience that you can’t specify or plan for. People are crucial for long-term success.

We discussed how projects need to be able to flex to make sure they stay relevant, and we heard how scope goes far beyond “completion”, truly giving places longevity and roles for generations to come.

This means we need to be patient, especially when we are regenerating heritage assets, to give people and places the opportunity to come along on the journey. Sure, there are a number of hurdles to be overcome, and the existing planning system can often be difficult to manage when you need flexibility.

But by investing in communities and giving them the tools to control the buildings and environment around them, we can also give them the tools to be agile.

Meeting up with people from across the heritage sector specifically reiterated how truly wonderful this industry is. Everyone wants to share knowledge and understanding, and everyone wants to learn.

The message from everyone was clear too. Historic buildings can be sustainable and can help us, as a nation, work towards reducing carbon consumption, ultimately lowering costs and creating healthy spaces.

Our heritage assets create rich, diverse environments for people to work, play and live. They bring unparalleled health and well-being benefits for communities, giving people a sense of place.

I left UKREiiF pondering several topics and conversations which I can’t wait to continue, but the main thing that has played on my mind ever since the event is this:

How do we meaningfully articulate qualitative outcomes in a way that makes investors want to be part of a regeneration project, particularly when conservation deficits can be eye-watering?

Jess Barrow is our Heritage Director, here at Woohoo.

Here, she shares her career journey to date, her passion for growing vegetables, and what she loves about the work she does.  

What’s your career experience to date?

I completed my undergraduate studies in Rural Estate and Land Management, before starting out my career as a Geotechnical Surveyor in Shrewsbury. I fell in love with the investigation of historic buildings during this time and returned to higher education to gain a Masters in Conservation of Historic Buildings, from the University of Bath.

I went straight from there to work for Aberdeenshire Council as an Environmental Planner and Project Officer. Here, I worked on lots of projects restoring dilapidated community buildings, such as memorials and historic churchyards on the northeast coast of Aberdeenshire, whilst also providing specialist consultations on development proposals.

I left Aberdeenshire to work in Project Management for Turner and Townsend in Manchester, guiding clients through project development and grant funding applications. From there, I returned to the public sector and worked as a Conservation Officer, consulting on an array of applications from major developments to householder applications.

Now, I’m part of the Woohoo team as Heritage Director!

How do you achieve success in your role?

My passion for the historic built environment comes from my love of place. Success for me is helping people unravel history to understand how their property played a role in the past, so that we can make a new relevant story for its future.

A measure of my success for my clients is gaining listed building consent/planning permission for their proposals, helping clients gain grant funding or just improving building conditions.

What’s your favourite aspect of your role?

I love piecing together different elements of a building’s history, with its present being to determine its future; I love researching and getting up close to buildings!

I also love working with community groups and making a difference to people’s lives. I strongly believe that historic buildings help people connect, give people a sense of place and build stronger communities.

What’s your favourite thing about being part of the Woohoo team?

I enjoy being able to collaborate with clients and other professionals to find solutions for buildings. Here at Woohoo, we always consider things holistically and take the time to get to know our site and its users, to help determine the best intervention.

Finally, tell us a fun or surprising fact about you…

I love gardening and growing veggies!

Get in touch

If you’d like to get in touch with Jess to discuss your next project (or gain some Monty Don-esque gardening advice) be sure to contact us, we’d love to hear from you.