Introduction to 'Of National Importance: Recognising Significance for Planning'
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2015-08-03

Deborah Williams, Historic England

The National Planning Policy Framework states that ‘non-designated heritage assets of archaeological interest that are demonstrably of equivalent significance to scheduled monuments, should be considered subject to the policies for designated heritage assets’ (para 139).
Given the desire for as much clarity as possible about significance, there is a need for a better understanding of how such sites are identified, who identifies them, where they are recorded and how such information is accessed. The Introduction will explain the background to the National Importance Programme and the pilot projects.