Heritage asset

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) defines a heritage asset as:

'A building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest. Heritage asset includes designated heritage assets and assets identified by the local planning authority (including local listing).'

It defines the setting of a heritage asset as:

'The surroundings in which a heritage asset is experienced. Its extent is not fixed and may change as the asset and its surroundings evolve. Elements of a setting may make a positive or negative contribution to the significance of an asset, may affect the ability to appreciate that significance or may be neutral.'

Significance (for heritage policy) is defined as:

'The value of a heritage asset to this and future generations because of its heritage interest. That interest may be archaeological, architectural, artistic or historic. Significance derives not only from a heritage asset’s physical presence, but also from its setting.'

A designated heritage asset is: 'A World Heritage Site, Scheduled Monument, Listed Building, Protected Wreck Site, Registered Park and Garden, Registered Battlefield or Conservation Area designated under the relevant legislation.'

Non-designated heritage assets are: '...buildings, monuments, sites, places, areas or landscapes identified by plan-making bodies as having a degree of heritage significance meriting consideration in planning decisions but which do not meet the criteria for designated heritage assets'

NB The HS2 London-West Midlands Environmental Statement, Glossary of terms and list of abbreviations, DETR 2013 defines a heritage asset as '...a building, monument, site, place, area or landscape of historic value.'

The London Plan, Published by the Mayor of London in March 2016, suggest: ‘Heritage assets are the valued components of the historic environment. They include buildings, monuments, sites, places, areas or landscapes positively identified as having a degree of historic significance meriting consideration in planning decisions. They include both designated heritage assets and non-designated assets where these have been identified by the local authority (including local listing) during the process of decision-making or plan making.’

Government Functional Standard GovS 004: Property, Version: 2.0, published by HM Government on 1 September 2021, defines a heritage asset as: ‘A building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest. Heritage assets include designated heritage assets and assets identified by the local planning authority as of heritage value (including local listing).’

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

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• HEF and HE publish Heritage Recovery Plan.
• Heritage.
• Heritage at Risk Register.
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• IHBC Annual School 2021.
• International heritage policy.
• Marketing heritage assets.
• National planning policy framework.
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• Scheduled monuments.
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