A new masterplan has been commissioned for the historic stately home and gardens of Kenwood House at Hampstead Heath.

Consultants at Blue Sail have been engaged by English Heritage, which manages Kenwood, to develop a new masterplan and strategic vision for the home.

The firm's clients have included Visit England and Visit Britain and projects have ranged from the creation of tourist routes in Iceland to a visitor economy strategy for Brighton.

A key priority of the masterplan, particularly after the pandemic, will be how the free-to-enter site makes money.

Friends of Kenwood's membership secretary, Helen Payne, said: "The masterplan's aim is to set out the various objectives that English Heritage should be aiming towards for at least the next five years, but hopefully much longer in the future.

"The Friends of Kenwood are committed to this project because we believe it's the best way to ensure the continued protection and promotion by English Heritage of Kenwood.

"The hope for the masterplan is that English Heritage will be able to go to grant-making bodies with specific proposals for projects that will then be eligible for grants. It will be a challenge. It is going to require a lot of hard work to get some support for Kenwood."

Those involved in Kenwood – volunteers, members of Friends of Kenwood and employees – have been invited to take part in a survey to express their views on how the site should be used.

Questions on the survey include "what would you like Kenwood to be known for in the future?" and "what do you think makes Kenwood such an important asset?".

A spokesperson for English Heritage said: "As it is now nine years since our Caring For Kenwood project, which saw major on-site improvements, we felt the time was right to produce a masterplan for this exceptionally important place.

"The plan will consider how we can improve the experience we offer our visitors and ensure the sustainable management of the house and estate for future generations.

"We are currently in the early stages of developing the plan and are very pleased to be doing so in partnership with the Friends of Kenwood."