Scotland's protected historic places - consultation on a long-term strategy for heritage designation

Delivery of national-level designations is a key function of Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and a foundation for a range of decision-making, from planning and land use decisions to maintenance of historic properties, and investigation of archaeological sites. 

Heritage designation has been in place across the UK since the 19^th century.  The context for our work has undergone huge change through the 20th century and this is continuing.  Society values heritage in different ways and how we operate has also evolved to reflect changing practices and priorities.

Delivery of national-level heritage designation is resource-intensive for HES and more widely. As with any other public body, we must think carefully about where to put our resources.

Since 2023, we have been working on a strategic review to consider if the current approach is the right one and fit for future challenges.   

What did the review involve?

We began by examining the state of the current designations and the challenges and opportunities.

Download our discussion paper: Towards a long-term strategy for heritage designation (2.68 MB).  

We then partnered with MainStreet Consultants who interviewed more than 100 external heritage and planning stakeholders, from amenity bodies and developers to Heads of Planning Scotland.  We selected this grouping based on their knowledge of the system and we provided participants with the discussion paper in advance of being interviewed.

Download MainStreet's report (457 KB). 

At the same time, we also carried out public and stakeholder surveys about all our regulatory services, which provided further evidence.

What did our engagement tell us?

The engagement found significant support for the existing national heritage designation systems and little appetite for major reform. It is recognised that heritage designation plays an important role in protecting Scotland’s most important historic places. However, while the work that HES does is highly valued there is demand for HES to change many aspects of our approach to delivery of national-level designation.

Our public survey demonstrated a poor understanding of our functions and impact and some heritage stakeholders perceive conflicts with management challenges and priorities such as climate goals. There is frustration with outdated and inaccurate records affecting decisions and a recognition that our service, as is more widely the case across the heritage sector generally, is under pressure. This has resulted in an increasingly reactive approach and inconsistent coverage. Complex processes and outdated IT hinder delivery of new designations and record improvements. Measuring impacts and better communication are needed.

How we have developed our strategy

When we considered the issues being raised alongside our own analysis of data and our understanding of gaps, challenges and opportunities, we decided that a clear long-term strategy is essential to the delivery of these functions. 

Our strategy aligns with other relevant sector and organisational strategies and plans, such as Our Past Our Future, our Corporate Plan 'Heritage for All (2025-28)' and HES Equalities Outcomes Report 2025-29.

Contents

The draft strategy includes the following sections:

1. Vision
2. Mission
3. Approach
4. Priorities 2025-2028

Our survey questions ask for your feedback on the strategy. We are also inviting comments on the potential impacts of the strategy on people and business.