Heritage valued by the community
All heritage assets are irreplaceable so the planning system is able to recognise heritage that has high value for the local community as well as heritage that is nationally significant.
Local heritage listing in the planning system
Government policy is that Planning Authorities are expected to have a positive strategy for the conservation and enjoyment of the historic environment, with an emphasis on sustaining and enhancing the significance of heritage assets.
Any building, monument, site, place, area or landscape that has sufficient significance to be worth considering in planning decisions is considered a heritage asset. There are two types: ‘designated heritage assets’, and ‘non- designated heritage assets’.
Designated heritage assets include Listed Buildings, Scheduled Monuments, Registered Historic Parks and Gardens, Registered Battlefields, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Conservation Areas. Designated heritage assets receive a greater degree of protection within the planning system than non-designated heritage assets.
To be designated a heritage asset must satisfy strict criteria. Some heritage assets cannot meet those criteria, but still have enough heritage significance to be taken into account when planning decisions are taken. These are “non-designated heritage assets”. A Local Heritage List is not the only way that non-designated heritage assets can be identified, but a Local Heritage List that has been well-prepared, with defined selection criteria, and subjected to public consultation will carry weight and decision-making based on it will benefit from clarity and transparency.
Protections for non-designated heritage assets are not as strong as those for designated heritage assets, but the effect of a planning application on a non-designated heritage asset must be taken into account. This means taking account of sustaining and enhancing the significance of non-designated assets, putting them to viable use, and considering the contribution they make to the community - including economic vitality. This requires a balanced judgement comparing the scale of any harm and the significance of the asset. A planning application can be refused on the grounds of harm to a non-designated heritage asset.
Significance is the value of a heritage asset to this and future generations because of its heritage interest. The interest may be archaeological, architectural, artistic or historic.
The process of local heritage listing may uncover heritage assets of potential national significance. Those would be referred to Historic England in the normal manner.
Position in Northumberland
Northumberland County Council supports the conservation of heritage assets by working with partners, including the owners of assets, Historic England and communities. They may also be able to secure external funding.
The Council will assist local groups in compiling local lists of heritage assets of local significance.
Where a developer’s proposals will affect heritage assets the council will work with them to avoid and mitigate any negative impact, and to ensure that the development is sympathetic to established character, and reinforces local distinctiveness through quality of design and use of materials.
Where potential heritage assets have not been included on a local list, the Northumberland Plan indicates that they will be assessed according to similar criteria (based on Historic England Advice Note 7: Local Heritage Listing: Identifying and Conserving Local Heritage). The implication being that developing a Local List for Alnwick will not be more restrictive - it will help owners and decision makers to understamd which assets are of value to the community, and increase transparency of decision making by clarifying the situation.
Alnwick and Denwick Neighbourhood Plan
In the original Neighbourhood Plan Community Action Propsal HD7 was to develop a list of locally valued historic assets to provide them with protection. The intention was that a local list would be prepared in years 6-10 (the plan was agreed in 2017) by inviting suggestions from the public and heritage agencies and setting up a review panel of historians and architects, etc. The lead body would be the County Council Conservation Team, with partners Alnwick Town Council, Alnwick Civic Society and Northumberland Estates. We are suggesting a similar proposal in the Neighbourhood Plan refresh.
Policy HD3 protecting non-designated heritage assets
Development affecting non-designated heritage assets, whether locally listed, identified in the Historic Environment Record, through characterisation studies or research, and those identified as part of the planning application process, should have particular regard to the conservation of the heritage asset, its features, significance and its setting.
Examples of heritage that may be considered to have local significance include:
Around a dozen individual buildings have been suggested by members of Alnwick Civic Society as “Buildings of note”
Alnwick has work that is not listed by distinguished architects such as Reavell and Cahill, J. Wightman Douglas, William Henry Knowles, and John Dobson
The former homes of figures who played an important role in Victorian and Edwardian Alnwick
Historic Townscape spaces could be considered - such as the Market Place and Column Field
Significant Historic urban views – including Canongate, Bailiffgate, Pottergate, Bondgate Within and Bondgate Without.
Landscape: several characterful landscapes, historic field boundaries, ancient footpaths
Trackbeds: former Alnwick and Alnwick / Cornhill Branch
Evidence of mineral extraction: former quarries and mines, and associated workings
The inclusion of a site or structure in the Historic Environment Record does not itself identify it as a non-designated heritage asset: the HER just records information. It does not reflect the planning judgement needed to determine whether it has sufficient heritage significance to merits consideration in planning decisions. However, the information within the HER can help to identify candidates for possible inclusion in a local heritage list. The Historic Environment Records held by Northumberland County Council record around 504 sites in Alnwick, and 153 in Denwick.
Preparing the Local Heritage List
The Historic England Advice Note on Local Lists contains guidance on Preparing and maintaining a Local Heritage List. It outlines seven key stages, once the decision has been taken to create, review or revise one.
This approach will be tailored to take account of local circumstances.
Publication of the list
Historic England describes publication of the finalised list as “very important”. To ensure that it protects non-designated heritage assets through the planning system, it will need to be published by NCC as the Planning Authority. NCC will decide how this is best done, but we might want to encourage:
Use of illustrations to encourage interest and improve clarity
Including an indication of the criteria that were used to select each heritage asset on the list
Linking to a geographic information system so that applicants can easily identify and take account of any assets on the local list (and to help the planning authority inform decision making)
Including references to the list in the Northumberland Historic Environment Records (if NCC decide not to use the HER as a repository for the list itself).
Including references to the list on the NCC and Alnwick Town Council websites