INTRODUCTION
Planning and the Historic Environment
1. The historic environment is part of our everyday lives and provides a sense of place, well-being and cultural identity. It enhances national, regional and local distinctiveness, forges connections between people and places and promotes a positive image of Scotland across the world. It can also contribute to the success and regeneration of communities and provide educational, training and employment opportunities. It is a key resource contributing to Scottish Ministers' objectives for economic growth, sustainable development and successful place making. Scottish Ministers therefore place great weight upon its proper protection through the planning system.
2. This Scottish Planning Policy ( SPP) supersedes and consolidates National Planning Policy Guidelines - NPPG 18 Planning and the Historic Environment and NPPG 5 Archaeology and Planning. It sets out the national planning policy for the historic environment with a view to its protection, conservation and enhancement and indicates how the planning system will contribute towards the delivery of Scottish Ministers' policies as set out in the Scottish Historic Environment Policy ( SHEP) series produced by Historic Scotland (available at www.historic-scotland.gov.uk). This SPP complements and should be read in conjunction with the SHEP series, together with the Memorandum of Guidance on Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas. Associated planning advice can be found in PAN 71 Conservation Area Management and PAN 42 Archaeology (available at www.scotland.gov.uk/planning).
Sustainable Development and the Historic Environment
3. The historic environment (as defined in paragraph 9) is a finite resource and its conservation and management contributes directly to sustainability. From the energy and materials invested in a building, the scope for adaptation and reuse, to the unique quality of historic settlements with their mix of uses and good connectivity, the historic environment is a vehicle for achieving sustainable development and adapting to social and economic change.
4. The historic environment can therefore play a key part in promoting sustainable economic growth and regeneration by ensuring that an area offers attractive living and working conditions which will encourage inward investment. This is of particular importance for tourism and leisure, and Government policy encourages the sustainable growth and development of tourism so long as this is compatible with long-term conservation.
Role of Local Authorities and Others
5. The Government encourages local authorities and others to maintain and strengthen their commitment to stewardship of the historic environment, and to reflect this planning guidance in their policies and their allocation of resources. Planning authorities should adopt suitable policies in their development plans and give effect to them through their development management decisions.
6. Historic Scotland's role is as an agency within The Scottish Government directly responsible to Scottish Ministers for the protection and promotion of the historic environment. Through its Inspectorate it can offer advice on development policies and proposals which will impact upon the historic environment and help to develop sustainable solutions which protect its essential characteristics. Historic Scotland has specific responsibilities in respect of statutory and non-statutory historic environment designations and is a statutory consultee under Strategic Environmental Assessment ( SEA) and Environmental Impact Assessment ( EIA) legislation.
7. Responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep of the historic environment lies with the owners and managers of historic assets and they are encouraged to seek expert advice where appropriate. Partnership between owners, users and public authorities is often the key to the long-term conservation of the historic environment. Bodies such as the Scottish Civic Trust, the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland and the Garden History Society, along with local amenity bodies, community councils and building preservation trusts play a significant role in safeguarding and promoting the historic environment.
8. Architecture and Design Scotland ( A+DS) offers expert advice on the quality of design for selected development proposals. These may include proposals which:
- are on, adjacent to or in close proximity to historically, culturally or ecologically significant sites
- affect important views - for example into or from a World Heritage Site, National Park or other designated landscapes or townscapes, such as conservation areas
- are of a type which consistently raises design issues which challenge the retention of the quality of urban settlements and risk erosion of the historic fabric.
More detail on the type of proposals where applicants and planning authorities should seek advice from A+DS is provided in SPP 20 Role of Architecture and Design Scotland.