Localism Bill

Memorandum submitted by Surrey Heritage on behalf of Surrey County Council (L 99)

About Surrey Heritage

Surrey Heritage is the overarching heritage arm of Surrey County Council. Among other responsibilities, Surrey Heritage provides countywide heritage asset planning / development control advice, access to and outreach concerning the County Historic Environment Record, and the provision of the County Portable Antiquities Scheme. We provide heritage asset advice to all county council services, all borough and district councils, many of the 88 town and parish councils and numerous voluntary organisations in the county. We deal with over 1000 planning consultations, over 300 Historic Environment Record enquiries and over 50 additional pieces of national strategic consultation per annum.

Comments

While Surrey County Council welcomes the Government’s aim to engage and empower local communities, we have serious concerns about the provisions in Schedule 12 to the Bill that expressly disapply the duties in relation to listed buildings and conservation areas imposed by sections 66 and 72 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 when considering neighbourhood development orders.

It is just such safeguards that need to be introduced, not removed, when the need for a planning application is replaced effectively by new permitted development rights.

We strongly urge the government to recognise the importance (which is more than of local interest) of the following through the Bill, and also through the National Planning Policy Framework that is also currently uinder consultation: [a] nationally important archaeology; [b] listed buildings and scheduled monuments (including their settings); [c] listed places of worship that enjoy the ecclesiastical exemption (and extensions thereto); [d] conservation areas; [e] registered parks and gardens, and; [f] World Heritage Sites (including their buffer zones).

We most strongly recommend that these be taken into account as a material consideration in the formulation and assessment of neighbourhood plans and neighbourhood development orders.

February 2011