A Heritage Statement or Heritage Impact Assessment is needed for all applications that affect a designated heritage asset or its setting. These include:
- Listed Buildings
- Conservation Areas
- Scheduled Ancient Monuments
- Historic Parks and Gardens
- The Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site
Heritage Statements should be prepared by an appropriately qualified person.
Heritage Statements should also be submitted for applications that directly affect non-designated heritage assets or their setting.
In accordance with NPPF 194 "the level of detail should be proportionate to the assets' importance... sufficient to understand the potential impact of the proposal on their significance."
Guidance
Where the proposal includes total or substantial demolition of a listed building this should be exceptional or wholly exceptional and requires 'clear and convincing justification' as stated in NPPF 194.
For substantial or total demolition in a Conservation Area where a building or structure is positively contributing towards the character or appearance of a conservation area. It should include:
- a structural survey outlining the condition of the building
- a written analysis of the character and appearance of the building or structure
- the contribution it makes to the conservation area
- the principles of, and justification for, the proposed demolition
- the impact of the demolition on the special character of the area.
For applications either related to, or impacting on, the setting of heritage assets, depending on the scale of the application, it should include
- plans showing heritage assets that may exist on, or adjacent to, the application site including listed buildings and structures, historic parks and gardens, historic battlefields, scheduled monuments or World Heritage Site
- an analysis of the significance of archaeology, history and character of the building or structure
- the principles of, and justification for, the proposed works and their impact on the special interest, significance or character of the heritage asset and setting.
If previously unidentified heritage assets are found that are considered to be of architectural, artistic, archaeological or historic interest their significance will need to be assessed. Information on the heritage assets must be sought from the Historic Environment Record and the effects of proposals on identified assets will need to be fully considered.
For applications within or adjacent to a Conservation Area or the World Heritage Site it should include an assessment of the impact of the development on the character, appearance or setting of the designated area. Where available reference should be made to Conservation Area Appraisals.
Proposals affecting the World Heritage Site should demonstrate accordance with the WHS Management Plan and the associated Supplementary Planning Document. Any impact on features having Attributes that contribute to the Outstanding Universal Value of the WHS must be properly evaluated and presented.
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