Heritage Statements and Impact Assessments

The production of a Heritage Statement (sometimes called a Statement of Significance) is a key piece of work when proposing changes to a listed building or protected asset.

The document looks in detail at the building’s history, and often involves time spent in the local and national archives along with the study of historic maps (map regression), to fully understand how it has changed and developed over time and contributed to our shared history.

It then defines and summarises what is important about the building in conservation terms – its ‘significance’ or ‘heritage value’.

This information allows proposals to be developed that both limit the impact on, and frequently enhance, what is special about the building. From an architectural perspective it also allows architects to create designs which resonate and have rhythm with the building’s past which can be both physical and metaphorical.