£700,000 has this week been granted LPAs to assist the better protection of local heritage assets.
The local list has been on our radar for some years now – first with PPG15 and then 2008’s Draft Heritage Protection Bill – but today remains an unfortunately nebulous mechanism.
This initiative’s more rigorous process of adoption will effect a far more robust means of protection, whilst the government and Historic England have made much of associated benefits to communities, tourism, the environment and economy.
However, LPAs already struggle to meaningfully and effectively distinguish between the many layers and complexities of heritage protection, with planner and developers unfairly inheriting the consequent lack of clarity.
At this juncture, a timely reminder to LPAs is necessary, making clear that such recognition constitutes merely a ‘material consideration’ in the planning process, but not the level of protection afforded statutorily designated counterparts, under law.
