New Direction – “Arrangements for handling heritage applications – notification to Historic England and National Amenity Societies and the Secretary of State (England) Direction 2021” (21/04/2021) …

The following new Direction came into force on 21/04/2021:

New Direction:

  • April 2021: Arrangements for handling heritage applications - notification to Historic England and National Amenity Societies and the Secretary of State (England) Direction 2021 (pdf) (link).

Notes:

  • The webpage (link) for the above Direction includes the following information:
    - "This Direction sets out requirements for handling heritage related applications and comes into force on 21 April 2021.".
    - "This Direction is made by the Secretary of State and sets out the requirements to notify Historic England (the new name for English Heritage from 1 April 2015), the National Amenity Societies and the Secretary of State of certain listed building consent applications and the circumstances in which Historic England’s own applications for listed building consent should be referred to the Secretary of State for determination.".
    - "It replaces the Arrangements for handling heritage applications – notification to Historic England And National Amenity Societies and the Secretary of State (England) Direction 2015 [(link)].".
  • Note: Paragraph 3 of the above Direction sets out the definition of "relevant works" for which the LPA needs to notify Historic England (in the case of an application for listed building consent in respect of any grade II (unstarred) listed building). This definition of "relevant works" has been amended to include "commemorative object works", for which paragraph 3 sets out the following definition:
    - ""commemorative object works" means works for the full or part demolition of a statue, monument, memorial or plaque that are, or are part of, a listed building;".
  • Note: Paragraphs 5 and 6 of the above Direction set out that sections 13 (duty to notify the Secretary of State) and 14 (duty to notify Historic England) of the LBCA Act 1990 do not apply in the case of an application for listed building consent to carry out "excluded works". As a result of the above amendment to the definition of "relevant works", the definition of "excluded works" can no longer apply to "commemorative object works".