Most public intervention in the historic environment is carried out at a local level, and planning authorities play a vital role in protecting England's heritage.

Local authority historic environment services are the initial contact for advice. They should be contacted at the earliest possible stage in developing a proposal or application, to help achieve quality results with efficient use of resources. Local authorities also produce guidance on relevant historic environment topics.

English Heritage advises local planning authorities and Government Departments on significant alterations to selected listed buildings, conservation areas, scheduled monuments and registered parks and gardens. English Heritage now provides 92% of planning and 98% of listed building consent advice within 21 days. English Heritage publishes a wide range of policy and guidance on managing the historic environment.

Planning Policy Guidance 15: Planning and the Historic Environment and Planning Policy Guidance 16: Archaeology and Planning set out the Secretary of State’s policy on the assessment, preservation and recording of historic and archaeological remains.

Article 4 Directions can be made by local planning authorities to restrict the exercise of permitted development rights in sensitive locations, such as Conservation Areas.

The Planning Delivery Grant is designed to reward local authorities’ for improved performance in handling development control planning applications. The grant is not ring-fenced, and many authorities have used their allocation to ensure greater resources for their historic environment services. Performance improvement in this respect is measured by faster decisions, but also takes into account whether an appropriate level of historic environment information is provided at the application or pre-application stage.

Implementing electronic government (IEG) is a source of funding for Geographical Information Systems and Historic Environment Records (also known as sites and monuments records).

Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPI's). The DCLG’s new set of indicators introduced on 1 April 2005 include the historic environment.  BV219 has three parts:

• The number of conservation areas in a local authority
• The percentage of conservation areas with an up to date character appraisal
• The percentage of conservation areas with published management plans.

Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) and Community Strategies are strengthened by an understanding of the role the historic environment plays in the future success of a place. LSPs are responsible for developing the overall future vision for their community, so the decisions they take can have significant implications for the historic environment.

Enabling Development and the Conservation of Heritage Assets
Enabling development is development contrary to established planning policy that is occasionally permitted because it brings public benefits that outweigh the harm that would be caused. An example might be the construction of new housing in part of the grounds of a former rural hospital in a particularly poor state of repair so that the main building can be appropriately restored.

The Planning Advisory Service (PAS, launched Dec 2004) supports planners, enforcement officers, planning committee members and others involved in planning by sharing good practice and introducing new ideas. The online resource will provide links to training programmes and information on effectively managing change in the planning sector.

Planning Matters: is an online planning resource to help RTPI members and others with an interest in the planning system and to support lifelong learning and continuing professional development. http://planningmatters.co.uk/

HELM aims to make it easier for local authority members, staff and non-heritage specialists to reach their targets for processing planning applications and help them get the most benefit from their local historic environment. With better information on conservation issues, delays in processing applications can be minimised.

For further information please click on the links in the right hand column.