Introduction

Heritage protection is a significant aspect of the planning system.

Heritage protection legislation, policy and systems extend statutory protection to historic buildings, conservation areas and monuments.  The significance and protection of these places is also a material consideration, to be responded to in development plan and supplementary policy making and in development management decision making.

Reform Processes

White Paper

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport issued a heritage white paper in 2007.  The RTPI developed a joint response to the white paper with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Institute of Historic Buildings Conservation - bodies which jointly represent many building conservation and historic built environment experts.

• Click here to view the white paper and the joint response.

Draft Heritage Protection Bill

A draft Heritage Protection Bill was prepared in spring 2008, setting out the ways in which the government will translate its white paper into legislation.

• Click here to view the Department for Culture, Media and Sport explanatory material on the draft Bill.
• Click here to download your own copy of the draft Bill (large file)

The Bill has been the subject of widespread consultation.  The RTPI again worked jointly with the heritage professions, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Institute of Historic Buildings Conservation, the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Planning Officers' Society and the Chartered Institute of Building to prepare a comprehensive response.

• Click here to view the RTPI and joint heritage professions response to the Draft Heritage Protection Bill.
• Click here to view the RTPI and joint heritage professions supplementary response on conservation area proposals released for consultation after the publication of the draft bill.

Following the 2008 Queen's speech in which the Bill was dropped from the legislative programme to create parliamentary time for new measures responding to the current economic situation, the Bill is anticipated to be introduced into Parliament in the 2009-10 session, at which point members will have a further opportunity to influence the detail by commenting on clauses and potential amendments.

The Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport has written to the RTPI, thank us for our contribution to the development of the Bill and emphasising his view that supporting work, including a review of the historic built environment PPGs (15 and 16) will proceed in 2008-09.

Protection of World Heritage Sites

The Government gave a commitment to introduce measures to protect World Heritage Sites in its white paper Heritage Protection for the 21st Century, and in May 2008 published a Draft Circular on the Protection of World Heritage Sites with a guidance note from English Heritage.

• Click here to view the RTPI response to the Protection of World Heritage Sites consultation paper.
• Click here to view the Communities and Local Government Protection of World Heritage Sites consultation paper.

PPS ON THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT

A PPS on the historic Environment combining the current PPGs 15 and 16 is being prepared by the Department for Communities and Local Government and English Heritage. The consultation draft is due to be published this Spring.

Author:

Rynd Smith

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

20-Mar-07

Categories:

Policy 

Sections:

What Planning Does

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