The NCS Collaborative Storage Scheme is a unique and innovative service aimed at supporting heritage organisations to have sustainable and conservation quality storage space at a low cost, monitored and supported by qualified and Accredited conservators. NCS monitors over 120 institutions' stores across the UK and further afield and our monitoring of third party commercial providers offers a useful alternative context for institutions of all kinds. Following a detailed and lengthy consultation and competition in 2011, supported by over 50 archives, libraries and museums and five storage providers, one of these (Restore Plc) was selected, being willing to meet the strict criteria set by the consultative group. Since that time a second provider, Jamie Briggs Removals & Stroage Ltd, has set up a heritage service under our scheme at the same site.
A fixed rate for storage rental per cubic metre per annum has been agreed, one for archive boxes and one for larger museum objects/crates, regardless of quantity or length of term required. The providers aim to ensure that environmental, security, fire and flood protection and building qualities meet EN 16893:2018 and BS 4971:2017. From 2023, Restore has added an annual admin fee of £300 + VAT regardless of the quantity or term, in addition to the fixed annual rental cost. Briggs has not added this charge.
The site re-uses massive, bomb-proof, thermally stable historic structures with low energy needs. Retrieval services are available to meet institutions' needs, along with location control and online access for tracking and requesting material. The National Archives has approved the NCS/Restore stores as suitable for Places of Deposit to store Public Records off-site. These stores have been assessed and received recognition by the National Security Adviser as meeting the requirements that would be nececessary for storage of items covered by the Government Indemnity Scheme. The Briggs service is applying for these approvals.
NCS acts for the heritage organisation, monitoring the quality of conditions and internal storage management. We advise institutions on their collections needs before moving to the site. Institutions wishing to store with us must join NCS as a member if they are not already, and we will check collections coming to the store to ensure they do not pose a risk to those already stored. This involves a Due Diligence visit. See 'How Does it Work' for more information.
We operate a conservation and digitisation studio at the site, along with rooms for custodians to come to the site to work on their collections when they need this. Storage Scheme membership also provides all the other standard benefits of NCS membership. In addition we operate a freezer storage service for plastic photographic and audio-visual media (see 'Cold Storage').
For more information contact: enquiries@ncs.org.uk.
