Assessing Significance

The NPPF sets out that planning applications must include an assessment of significance of any heritage assets affected including any contribution made by their setting. 

The level of detail should be proportionate to the importance of the asset and no more than is sufficient to understand the impact of the proposed development. 

Where a development includes or has the potential to include heritage assets with archaeological interest, LPAs should require a desk-based assessment and, where necessary, a field evaluation. 

The NPPF defines significance as ‘the value of a heritage asset to this and future generations because of its heritage interest’.  Such interest may be archaeological, architectural, artistic or historic and it may derive ‘not only from a heritage asset’s physical presence, but also from its setting’

Take a staged approach to any proposal:

1.       Understand the form, materials and history of the affected heritage asset(s), and/or the nature and extent of archaeological deposits

2.       Understand the significance of the asset(s)

3.       Understand the impact of the proposal on that significance

4.      Avoid, minimise and mitigate negative impact, in a way that meets the objectives of the NPPF

5.       Look for opportunities to better reveal or enhance significance

Heritage (Impact) Statements/Assessments all go further than statements of heritage significance by detailing the impact of a proposal on significance, how it can be avoided, minimised or mitigated, and its justification, if that is not possible, in whole or in part.

The statement of heritage significance may usefully be included as part of the Design and Access Statement.

• Design and Access Statements can be very useful in showing how a scheme has been designed so that adverse impacts on significance are avoided and/or minimised
• Analysis of heritage significance therefore strongly supports the purpose of the Design and Access Statement
• However, while the statement of heritage significance may form part of the Design and Access Statement, the Design and Access Statement is not a substitute for it. Where the heritage significance of an asset is a primary consideration, it may be appropriate for the analysis of significance and the impact assessment to be a separate document

1. Introduction

E.g. purpose, nature of proposal, designation records, HER, archaeological potential, planning history, consultation history, approach and methodology

2. Heritage Asset and its Significance 

E.g. form and history, photographs, understanding of the proposal, assessment of significance

3. Impact on Significance

4. How to avoid harmful impact 

5. Justification for harmful impact

6. Recording 

Detail any further archaeological analysis and recording proposed where there would be an impact on significance