Heritage statements for listed and period homes
The document your application needs, written to explain what makes your building significant and how your proposals respect it.
What a heritage statement is, and why it matters
A heritage statement is a written document that explains the heritage significance of a building and assesses how your proposed works would affect it. For a listed building it usually includes a statement of significance: a clear account of what makes the property important, historically and architecturally, and why.
Local planning authorities use it to decide applications for listed building consent, and for planning permission where works could affect a heritage asset or a conservation area. A weak or missing statement is one of the most common reasons these applications stall. A clear one, written in the language a conservation officer expects, makes the case for your works and keeps the decision moving.
We come to this from the building side. We spend our working lives inside period and listed homes, resolving damp with breathable lime, so we understand how these buildings are put together and why the right repairs matter. That grounding shows in the statements we write.
When you need one
If any of these apply to your project, your local authority will usually ask for a heritage statement as part of a valid application.
Listed building consent
Any works to a listed building that affect its character, inside or out, need consent, and a heritage statement to support it.
Conservation areas
Planning applications for homes in a conservation area often need a heritage statement showing the works preserve or enhance it.
Alterations and repairs
Re-plastering, extensions, new openings, or changes to layout can all affect significance and need the impact explained.
What our heritage statements include
Every statement is written for the specific building and the specific application, not from a template.
Statement of significance
A clear account of the building's history and what makes it architecturally and historically important.
Historical research
Desk research into the property's origins, its listing entry where relevant, and its place in the surrounding area.
Impact assessment
An honest assessment of how the proposed works affect significance, and how the design responds to it.
Policy references
The relevant national and local planning policy, cited the way a conservation officer expects to read it.
Site photographs
Annotated photographs of the areas affected, taken during our site visit, to support the written assessment.
Application-ready format
Supplied as a PDF ready to submit with your planning portal application, formatted to your authority's requirements.
How it works
A straightforward process from first call to a document you can submit.
Tell us about the works
Send us the property address, whether it is listed or in a conservation area, and what you are planning to do.
Site visit and research
We visit the property, record the areas affected, and research its history and heritage significance.
Draft for your review
We write the statement, share a draft, and adjust it with you so it reflects the works accurately.
Final document to submit
You receive the finished heritage statement as a PDF, ready to upload with your application.
Heritage statement questions
A heritage statement is a document that describes a building's heritage significance and assesses how proposed works would affect it. For listed buildings it usually incorporates a statement of significance. Local planning authorities use it to decide applications for listed building consent and for planning permission affecting heritage assets.
You typically need one when you apply for listed building consent, when you apply for planning permission for works to a building in a conservation area, or when proposed works could affect the significance of a heritage asset. Your local planning authority validation checklist confirms what is required.
A statement of significance describes what makes the building important and why. A heritage statement includes that significance and then assesses the impact of the proposed works on it. In practice, a heritage statement for a listed building contains a statement of significance within it.
No. We prepare heritage statements as a standalone service, whether or not we carry out any lime works or repairs. If we are doing the works as well, the statement and the specification stay consistent, which helps the application.
A straightforward domestic heritage statement usually takes one to two weeks from the site visit, depending on the complexity of the building and the works. We will give you a clear timescale once we understand the property and what you are proposing.
We prepare heritage statements across south and east London, including Clapham, Brixton, Dulwich, Greenwich, Blackheath and Lewisham, out to Bromley, Sidcup and Sevenoaks in Kent, and into Essex. Get in touch if you are unsure whether we cover your area.
Need a heritage statement?
Tell us about your property and the works you are planning, and we will explain exactly what your application needs.
Get a Quote