A heritage statement from us starts at from £565. There is no council fee for it, because it is a document that travels with your planning application, not an application of its own. The council's fee for the application is separate, and you can see it on our fee guide.
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If your house is listed, sits inside a conservation area or stands next to either, the council may refuse to validate the application without one. This post explains what the statement has to do, so you can tell whether the quote you hold is for the right document.
What is a heritage statement for?
It tells the planning officer what is special about the building and its surroundings, and what your scheme changes. Government guidance expects applicants to describe the significance of any heritage assets affected, in detail "proportionate to the asset's importance" and no more than is needed to understand the impact (MHCLG guidance).
The national planning policy says the same in its own words: an application should come with an assessment of the significance of the assets affected, including what their setting contributes, and the relevant historic environment record should be referred to (NPPF chapter 20, policy HE5).
Does my property need one?
Check three things in this order. Is the building listed? Is it in a conservation area? Does it stand close enough to either that its setting matters? A yes to any of them usually means the council will want an assessment, and some boroughs also ask for one for locally listed buildings.
For conservation areas the law is direct: the council must pay "special attention" to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the area's character or appearance (section 72). A statement that shows you have looked at the street, the materials and the neighbours gives the officer a reason to say yes. Councils can also ask for a heritage statement under a local list, but only a list published less than two years before you apply can make it a validation requirement (MHCLG guidance).
What does it cost, and what moves the price?
Our fee starts at from £565. The word "starts" is deliberate: the effort depends on the asset. A terraced house in a conservation area with a published appraisal is a short document. A listed building with a long history, several phases of alteration and a complicated setting takes more research and more writing, and we confirm the final fee in writing before we begin.
What does not change the price is how many drawings you have. The statement sits alongside the plans, and if you need those too, the complete planning drawing service is £645 drawings + £150 survey (£795 total). If you want both documents in one, ask us about the design and access statement route below.
Can I use a design and access statement instead?
Sometimes. The guidance says that where both a design and access statement and a heritage assessment are required, the heritage assessment can be included within the design and access statement (MHCLG guidance, paragraph 012). One combined document can cost less than two. Our design and access statement service starts at from £235 on its own.
Check with the council first. The route only works where a design and access statement is already required, and not every application needs one.
What if the building is listed?
A listed building needs more than a planning application for most alterations: it needs listed building consent, which is a separate consent with its own rules. The heritage statement is the core document for both. Tell us at the start, because the research is deeper and a statement written for the wrong consent has to be rewritten.
What happens if I submit without one?
The council may refuse to validate the application, which means the eight-week clock does not start. In practice that is lost time while the council writes to you and you write the statement. Commissioning it before you submit is a small cost compared with the delay.
Frequently asked questions
Is a heritage statement the same as a heritage impact assessment? Councils use the terms loosely. The content is the same: significance, then what the proposal does to it. Ask your council which name it uses on its local list.
Who writes it? We research and write it for you, from the designations that cover your address. We do not claim a specialist conservation qualification, so for a major listed building with complex alterations you may also want a historic building consultant.
Is there a council fee for it? No. The statement is not an application. You pay the council only the application fee.
Do I need it for a loft conversion in a conservation area? Often yes, if the loft changes the roof as seen from the street. Our permitted development checker tells you whether you need an application at all before you spend anything.
