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Planning: Cultural Heritage

Question for Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

UIN 13214, tabled on 9 June 2021

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has plans to include provisions on contested heritage in his proposals for planning reform.

Answered on

18 June 2021

In January, the Government announced new planning protections to ensure historic statues, monuments and plaques are 'retained and explained' for future generations. Following changes to the demolition permitted development right, the removal of these historic assets, whether listed or not, now requires listed building consent or planning permission. If a council intends to grant permission for the removal of a particular asset, the Secretary of State will be notified in order to decide whether to call in the decision for determination.

More generally, the Planning White Paper, Planning for the Future, emphasised the critical role the planning system has played in ensuring the historic buildings and areas we cherish are conserved and, where appropriate, enhanced by development. As we develop our proposals for the Planning Bill following consultation on the White Paper proposals, we want to build on the strong protections in the existing framework, to ensure there is no loss of protection for the historic environment. We will publish our response to the White Paper consultation prior to the Bill's introduction in Autumn.