Assessing Significance of Heritage Assets

Requirements for Application Submissions

Applications relating to heritage assets (such as listed buildings, conservation areas) are now required to be accompanied by a description and assessment of significance of the proposed development or works.  The assessment should be proportionate to the scale of the work proposed and the significance of the heritage asset itself.  As a minimum, the relevant Historic Environment Record should have been consulted and the heritage assets themselves should have been assessed using appropriate expertise where necessary, given the application’s impact.

We recommend that the information is included within the Design and Access Statement as part of the explanation and justification for the design approach, although it can be presented as a separate document if preferred.  Further detail about the information required is available in our Design and Access Statement Guidance [pdf document].

What does this apply to?

A Design and Access Statement, or equivalent document that describes the significance of a heritage asset (the reason it is designated) and assesses the impact the change proposed will have on that heritage asset, is required with the following applications:

  • Listed Building Consent
  • Conservation Area Consent
  • Planning permission for development within a Conservation Area, for development in the curtilage or the setting of a Listed Building or a curtilage Listed Building and for development in the setting of a Scheduled Monument. Please note that applications for Scheduled Monument Consent, for works to a Scheduled Monument, are dealt with by English Heritage rather than the Local Authority.

Guidance

Online guidance is available to help applicants assess the significance of heritage assets, as follows:

Since 27 March 2012 the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) replaces Planning Policy Statement 5: Planning for the Historic Environment (PPS5) and all other national planning policy. Paragraph 128 details information required for applications with potential heritage impacts.