Designation (heritage assets) facts for kids

Designation means giving something a special status or setting it aside for an important purpose. When we talk about old buildings or special places, designation means giving them legal protection. This helps make sure these important places are looked after and kept safe for the future. Different countries have different laws for this.

In the UK, a designated heritage asset can be a World Heritage Site, a scheduled monument, a listed building, a protected wreck site, a registered park or garden, a registered battlefield, or a conservation area. Each type of special place gets its protection through different laws.

Why We Designate Special Places

In the UK, protecting special buildings and historic items is called 'designation of heritage assets'. It's also known as 'heritage protection'. The main reason for doing this is to make sure that the importance and unique features of these places are protected. This way, they can be passed on to future generations.

The UK government says that designation is the first step in protecting our heritage. It helps us figure out which parts of our past are most important and why. This also helps decide how we manage changes to historic places.

Types of Designated Heritage Assets in England

England has its own laws for protecting heritage, separate from Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Here are some main types:

• Listed buildings: These are buildings and other structures, like old post boxes or road signs, that are considered special. This protection started in 1947. A building is listed if it has important architectural or historic interest. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport makes this decision.
• Scheduled monuments: These are important archaeological sites. This protection began in 1882. It aims to protect key sites that are carefully managed for the future.
• Historic wreck sites: These are old shipwrecks protected by law. They are registered by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Some underwater sites close to the coast can also be scheduled.
• Historic landscapes and battlefields: Special parks, gardens, and ancient battlefields can be 'registered'. The Register of Parks and Gardens was created in 1983, and the Battlefields Register in 1995. These registers help protect these areas, but they don't have their own separate rules.
• Conservation areas: These are areas with special architectural or historic interest that are worth protecting. They were first designated in 1967.
• World Heritage Sites: These places get special legal protection from UNESCO because they are very important culturally or physically to the whole world.

Other Types of Special Designations

Besides buildings and sites, other things can also be designated:

• Museum collections: The Designation Scheme helps identify important collections in museums, libraries, and archives in England. These collections are recognized for their quality and importance.
• Regional food: Some special foods from certain areas get protection through a European Union scheme called Protected Designation of Origin. This means only food made in a specific way in that region can use the name.
• Natural areas: Special landscapes like Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), National parks, and marine conservation zones (MCZs) also have their own protection laws.

What Happens When a Place is Designated?

When a place becomes designated, it means several things:

• More visitors: Designated sites often attract more visitors because the designation shows they are important and high quality.
• Increased pride: Local people and the whole country often feel more proud of a designated site.
• Better protection: Designated sites get stronger protection when new building plans are considered.
• Higher profile: They become more well-known, which can help them get funding or support for their protection.

Designation and Planning Rules

Different government departments in the UK handle different designation laws. This can sometimes make things a bit complicated for people who want to build something new.

Sometimes, a heritage asset might have several layers of protection. For example, a national park might contain scheduled monuments, or a listed building might be inside a conservation area.

In England, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) handles listed buildings. But the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is in charge of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Department for Communities and Local Government handles the general planning system. Also, European Union laws protect some areas, and international laws apply to World Heritage Sites.

How to Designate or De-designate a Heritage Asset

In England, anyone can ask English Heritage to consider designating a building, monument, or wreck. You don't have to own the place to apply. There's an application form and guidelines on their website. Sites that are in danger, like from demolition, are given priority.

To apply, you usually need:

• The address or location of the property.
• Details about who owns it.
• Information about any current building plans.
• Reasons why the place should be designated (like its history, architecture, or archaeology).
• Photos and research reports.
• A list of books, articles, or websites you used for your research.

It's also possible to ask for a site to be 'de-designated' (removed from the list). If the Secretary of State agrees that a place no longer meets the rules for being on the Heritage List, it can be de-designated. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have different ways of doing this.