Who can write a heritage statement?

The short answer

Anyone can write a heritage statement. National policy does not specify who. In practice, conservation officers in London and other listing-dense areas give evidential weight to statements authored by recognised heritage professionals and discount statements that lack the analytical structure or accreditation conservation officers expect. For Grade I, Grade II*, and contested Grade II applications, an accredited heritage practitioner is a near-universal expectation.

Recognised accreditations

The accreditations that carry weight in heritage planning are:

• Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC). Full Members have demonstrated competence across eight areas including significance, evaluation, conservation policy, intervention and management. Recognised by Historic England and most local planning authorities.
• RIBA Conservation Architect / Specialist Conservation Architect. RIBA members who have completed additional training and demonstrated heritage experience. Particularly relevant for design-led applications.
• Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), with heritage specialism. Chartered planners with demonstrable heritage experience and continuing professional development in heritage matters.
• Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA). Relevant for applications affecting scheduled monuments, Archaeological Priority Areas or sites with significant below-ground potential.
• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Building Conservation Accreditation. Recognised for surveyors working on historic building condition and repair.

Can my architect write it?

Architects can draft heritage statements on low-sensitivity schemes. On listed buildings of any grade, the architect-written heritage statement is the single most common reason capable schemes fail at determination on heritage grounds. The reasons are consistent across boroughs:

• Significance is asserted at the level of the listing entry but not evidenced through fabric inspection or research
• Impact analysis describes the works rather than testing them against significance
• The statement reads as design advocacy rather than reasoned heritage analysis
• Policy citations are generic and do not engage with the specific tests in NPPF paragraphs 205 to 208

A RIBA Conservation Architect or RIBA Specialist Conservation Architect is well placed to write a heritage statement on schemes within their accredited scope. A general architect without heritage training is not, and the cost of a refused application substantially exceeds the cost of commissioning a heritage specialist at the outset.

Can the owner write it?

Owners can submit a heritage statement they have written themselves. For very minor works on a building in a conservation area where the owner has researched the history thoroughly, an owner-written statement may pass validation. For listed buildings, owner-written statements rarely carry sufficient evidential weight and the application risks delay, refusal or, in the case of unauthorised works, enforcement.

What officers look for

Conservation officers read the heritage statement first to understand who has written it. The author's credentials are usually the first thing checked, followed by:

• Evidence of a site visit and detailed fabric inspection
• Engagement with the listing entry, the conservation area appraisal and any pre-application correspondence
• A structured significance analysis using Historic England's Conservation Principles
• An impact analysis that engages with each proposed change individually
• A reasoned conclusion on the harm category, with explicit reference to the NPPF tests

Evidence of authorship

A defensible heritage statement names the author, lists their accreditations, and includes a short professional biography. Where the author is part of a wider team, the contribution of each named individual should be set out. Anonymous heritage statements, or those signed only by a corporate practice without naming an accredited individual, carry less weight on appeal.

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