Planning Tool or Social Inclusion Vehicle: what is the role of local listing?

Much of the responsibility for protecting England’s historic environment falls to local planning authorities. Local lists have formed part of a suite of measures available to local planning authorities to protect locally significant heritage assets since the abolition of Grade III listing in 1970.

Traditionally, the role of local listing has been that of planning tool, guiding and informing development management decisions; however, of late, it has been suggested that local lists have found a new role, that of social inclusion vehicle.

The aim of this research was to explore the current role of local listing.
Research involved a chain of exploratory interviews with five key local list stakeholders, an extensive literature review, a closed question questionnaire survey sent to all English local planning authorities and series of three semi structured interviews with planning officers from South Tyneside Council.
The research shows that although few local planning authorities are currently embracing local listing as a planning tool, they are proactively seeking local community involvement in the creation and review of local lists.
The study concludes that whilst there is a duality in the role of local lists – they are simultaneously a planning tool and a vehicle for social inclusion - the current focus is on their social inclusion function.