This may seem a surprising claim from the man responsible for the preservation of historic buildings, but since he took over his post in 2002 the 42-year-old former director of the Museum of London has been engaged in a charm offensive designed to smooth over relations with suspicious real estate professionals.

With some it has worked; with others, who may have been on the unwelcome receiving end of some of English Heritage’s decisions — such as its recommendation that the crumbling Brewer Street car park in London’s Soho be listed, effectively quashing redevelopment plans — the organisation remains at best an irritation.

This spring English Heritage will start running the listing process for historic buildings itself, taking over from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The move has sent a shiver through parts of the property world. But Thurley insists that the process will become more democratic. “Under the old system, everything was done in secret,” he says. “The first thing the owner would know about it was when a letter arrived telling them the building had been listed.

Under the new system we notify the owner that we are considering listing the building and give them the opportunity to comment. If they disagree with the decision they can be heard at a professional independent appeal.”

The new plans are part of a number of changes made to English Heritage over the past few years. The Treasury has called for more data from the organisation, in an attempt to make it more businesslike.

“People don’t just want to be told that cathedrals are important, they want hard data,” Thurley says. “We need to make the case for what we do. We are paid for by the nation’s economy and we need to prove our value to every single person in this country.”

Last year English Heritage carried out its third annual audit of historic properties, revealing that 17,000 of the 370,000 listed buildings are at risk of neglect and decay and more than £1 billion is needed to bring parks and recreation grounds up to scratch.

Despite its findings, English Heritage has suffered a £13 million cut in its budget for the next three years, on top of a £19 million cut in the past three. “There has been a lot of tightening of belts and a lot of firming up,” Thurley says. The organisation has shed 11 per cent of its estimated 1,800 staff and the chief executive fears that the only way to meet the budget cuts now will be to axe some grants programmes.

There has been a more progressive stance towards some new developments. “In the past we were seen as conservationists trying to stop people from doing anything. We were poor at communicating. Now I would say we are about managing the process of change.”

English Heritage is consulted over huge developments in strategic locations, such as the plethora of new office towers proposed for the City of London. Thurley has mixed views on the capital’s commercial landmarks. He likes the Deutsche Bank headquarters on London Wall — “it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb” — and the “Gherkin”, more formally known as 30 St Mary Axe. He even likes the space-age Lloyd’s building, arguing that “the historical allusions are very exciting.”

Others he remains doubtful about. Canary Wharf is “very disappointing” and the original tower should have been at least ten storeys higher. The proposed London Bridge Tower is condemned as a piece of “pure naked greed”. Overall, about 350 postwar buildings have been listed for protection.

English Heritage is broadening its remit from mere buildings to the general streetscape of our towns and cities. It recently launched a “Save our Streets” campaign designed to rid pavements of “local authority metal” such as traffic signs and recycling bins.

Thurley wants to ensure that in areas earmarked for big developments, new homes are not just dumped in the middle of a field, and that in the North,where rows of terraced houses face demolition, historic areas are not simply wiped out. “It’s not a bad thing that you can buy a house for £12,000 that would cost you £600,000 in Fulham,” he says.

As a former wunderkind of the museum world, lauded for his restoration of the state apartments at Hampton Court Palace after the fire, Thurley is regarded as knowledgeable, energetic and outspoken. If anyone can persuade developers that English Heritage is their best friend, it is him.

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