Everything must be done to ensure that thatched roofs survive in to the future, a new Government strategy on vernacular buildings and heritage has recommended.

Vernacular buildings are those which were made by the ordinary, local, people in an area and include old houses and farm buildings.

“The importance of such roofs, in terms of archaeology and architectural history, vernacular crafts and materials, botany and diversity, as well as their landscape values, is such that everything must be done to address the various impediments to their survival,” the strategy authors say.

Insurance, they acknowledge, has become a problem for owners of thatched houses and the Government intends to investigate this and work to “resolve the urgent issue of affordability of insurance for thatched buildings.”

It will also examine thatching standards and availability of thatching materials, and accelerate the recording and protection of such buildings.