A heritage consultant is a professional trained in the management of the historic environment, which might include listed buildings, scheduled monuments and registered parks and gardens. They may have different specialisms, including expertise in the planning system and obtaining listed building consents. Heritage consultants can support clients in assessing the viability of their schemes, whatever the scale, to promote the sustainable development of the historic environment.

A Heritage Impact Assessment may be required for proposals affecting listed buildings or sites within conservation areas. It outlines the heritage significance and assesses how a development will affect that value, helping justify planning decisions.

It is a criminal offence to carry out works to a listed building (that require consent) without permission, so double-check before you do anything. The maximum penalty is two years’ imprisonment or an unlimited fine. The offence is committed by the person who carried out the works and the person who instructed the works. However, when you purchase a listed building, you inherit any authorised works undertaken by previous owners, so be careful to check what’s gone on, as there is no time limit on enforcement action.

It is very unlikely that buildings are delisted however, it is not impossible. In rare circumstances, some buildings have been designated may have suffered serious neglect or cumulative harm and no longer be considered worthy of listing any longer. In these instances, we would advise accordingly and undertake some initial research into whether there was a strong case for delisting or not.

A WSI is a Written Scheme of Investigation. This is normally required to agree the scope and methodology for archaeological work with a local planning authority, or their archaeological advisor. It may also include research questions, the timetable of work, the programme of post-excavation assessment, analysis and reporting of finds, and the provision for long-term deposition of finds and records through archiving.
Some local planning authorities may require a WSI for all work, including a desk-based assessment, although usually this is required for archaeological fieldwork, either for field evaluation or for excavation and recording. Often, the WSI is the first step in discharging an archaeology-related planning condition; however, archaeological conditions will not normally be fully discharged by the planning authority until both the fieldwork and the post-excavation work (including reporting and archiving) have been completed.

Archaeology is the study of past human activity through the recovery and analysis of the remains that people leave behind, including assessing and mitigating the impact of development on buried heritage assets and landscapes. This can take the form of upstanding earthwork remains, below ground remains such as evidence of buildings, ditches and pits, artefacts such as bones and pottery and environmental information such as remains of pollen and insects that can survive within soil.