Decision details

South Yorkshire Local Heritage List

Decision Maker: Co-operative Executive

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Purpose:

Historic England recommend that local authorities should maintain a list of locally valued heritage assets, nominated by members of the public; inclusion on this list would flag these assets up within the Planning system, for consideration. Local heritage lists can contain a variety of heritage assets, including buildings, monuments, designed landscapes and archaeological sites. Currently Sheffield does not have a process for establishing and maintaining such a Local Heritage List.

 

The Ministry for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, now the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, provided grant funding for South Yorkshire, to help kick-start the local heritage listing process – 1 of 22 such projects in England.

 

South Yorkshire Archaeology Service are leading on the project for Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. As well as working on the public nomination process, we need to establish a system for the four authorities to consider nominations and adopt relevant assets on to a Local Heritage List. For Sheffield, our proposal is that the Co-operative Executive approve the methodology for production of a Local Heritage List and agree to delegate future decision-making, on addition or removal of such assets, to the Head of Planning - for nominations received for Sheffield heritage assets.

 

Historic England guidance on local listing states that inclusion of heritage assets should be approved by a ‘plan-making body’. To date only Barnsley, of the four South Yorkshire authorities, has a methodology in place for such local listing, with decision-making delegated to officer level.  Having discussed the process required with Legal, advice is to seek Executive approval for a similar decision-making model in Sheffield. We are also in discussions with Doncaster and Rotherham to ensure a similar model is followed by those authorities. This will allow a consistent approach to local listing to be adopted across South Yorkshire.

 

The South Yorkshire Local Heritage List will be displayed on a dedicated project website - to give residents easy access to information about valued local heritage assets. In addition, the information gathered through the nomination process will be used to enhance records held in the South Yorkshire Historic Environment Record (formerly the Sites & Monuments Record), which is maintained by South Yorkshire Archaeology Service for the four authorities.

 

As part of the process there would be a central ‘Panel’ with representatives from each authority and other stakeholders making initial recommendations. Sheffield also envisages a consistent role for Local Area Committees as consultees for proposed listings in their area.

 

 

Decision:

17.1

Sheffield City Council does not currently have a process in place for establishing and maintaining a Local Heritage List - a list of locally valued heritage assets, nominated mainly by members of the public and local interest groups. Such a list flags up heritage assets that are not designated (for example, not a listed building or a scheduled monument) but that have value. As such, Local Heritage Listing is recommended to help identify heritage assets that would warrant consideration in the planning process.

 

South Yorkshire Archaeology Service, as a joint service, has been awarded funding by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities to lead on the establishment of a Local Heritage List for Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. In discussion with officers from the four authorities and using guidance on Local Heritage Listing produced by Historic England, we are proposing a Local Heritage Listing process that it is hoped can be followed for each authority. The process will ensure that nominations received are appropriately assessed prior to inclusion onto the Local Heritage List. The outcome will be allowing greater weight to the protection of locally valued heritage assets when planning decisions are made.

 

The report set out the process proposed for Local Heritage Listing, for formal adoption, including delegating the approval of heritage assets for inclusion to the Head of Planning.

 

 

17.2

RESOLVED: That Co-operative Executive:-

 

 

Approve the proposed process for Local Heritage Listing, including:

 

  • setting 7 selection criteria, as established by Historic England, weighted to reflect South Yorkshire’ s distinctive local historic character;
  • using a panel of officers and members of key local heritage groups and/or other relevant experts, to make recommendations based on these criteria;
  • delegating powers for the Head of Planning to approve the recommended inclusions, amendments or deletions from the Local Heritage List.

 

 

17.3

Reasons for Decision

 

 

17.3.1

The proposed assessment process will allow the City Council to have a method for Local Heritage Listing for the first time, improving services to local residents.

 

 

17.3.2

Adoption of the recommended process will help ensure consistency with the proposed approach to Local Heritage Listing by the other South Yorkshire authorities.

 

 

17.3.3

Obtaining the relevant delegation would allow Local Heritage Listing to proceed, in a sustainable manner.

 

 

17.3.4

The outcome we are seeking is to allow greater weight to the protection of a heritage asset on the Local Heritage List, when planning decisions are made.

 

 

17.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

 

 

17.4.1

The recommendation made is considered by Officers to be the most sustainable approach to Local Heritage Listing, by sharing the assessment process with the other South Yorkshire authorities, as well as seeking to ensure consistency with local listing by those authorities. The Council could do nothing but this would increase the risk that non-designated heritage assets of local significance are picked up late in the planning process, increasing the risk of issues arising and of local communities feeling their concerns are not listened to.

 

 

17.5

Any Interest Declared or Dispensation Granted

 

 

 

None

 

 

17.6

Reason for Exemption if Public/Press Excluded During Consideration

 

 

 

None

 

 

17.7

Respective Director Responsible for Implementation

 

 

 

Executive Director, Place

 

 

17.8

Relevant Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee If Decision Called In

 

 

 

Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee

 

 

Report author: Sarah Cattell

Publication date: 18/03/2022

Date of decision: 16/03/2022

Decided at meeting: 16/03/2022 - Co-operative Executive

Effective from: 25/03/2022

Accompanying Documents: