Updating the Historic Environment Policy for Scotland (HEPS)

Feedback updated 6 Oct 2026

We asked

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) asked for your views on the current Historic Environment Policy for Scotland (HEPS) to inform an update to this national policy.  

HEPS is relevant whenever a decision will affect the historic environment. It can be used to inform policies, strategies and guidance as well as for decision making for places and in the planning system.  

We asked for feedback on how the current document is used and key areas of improvement. 

You said

Four clear priorities emerged: 

  • Clarify the role of HEPS in decision making 
  • Strengthen the links between the policy document and how to implement it 
  • Improve accessibility, in terms of navigating the document and highlighting the key messages 
  • Better reflect contemporary challenges to the historic environment 

Other feedback included:

  • Amongst those who use HEPS, it is regarded as  a foundational framework for decision-making which is best exercised through other policy and guidance. 
  • Respondents suggested that for decision-making they rely on NPF4, Managing Change guidance and Local Development Plans alongside HEPS.  
  • Most respondents indicated no significant barriers to their use of HEPS. Those who raised concerns focused overwhelmingly on the status, role and practical purpose of HEPS within the planning system and its relationship with NPF4.  
  • Respondents found HEP1 and HEP4 to be the most useful policies to their work.  
  • There was limited appetite for major new policy content within an updated HEPS.  
  • For both the “Understanding & Recognition” and “Managing Change” sections respondents were supportive of the principles. They requested more practical guidance for implementation, and an explanation of cultural significance.  
  • The “Working Together” section generated the strongest calls for improvement. Respondents want a clearer explanation of how collaborative working should happen in practice and a greater recognition of the climate and nature crisis. 

We did

General changes 

  • Improving clarity and accessibility of the document through simplifying language and structure 
  • Embedding considerations for the climate and nature crises and centring access and people’s interactions with the historic environment throughout the document 
  • Expanded the introduction to make the purpose of HEPS clearer 
  • Made wording changes to policies to make them more clear and linked to implementation. 

Understanding significance and value (previously “Understanding & recognition”) 

  • Refined into 4 targeted principles 
  • Reorganised information under 3 headings; understand the place, understand cultural significance and understanding value 
  • Have added definition and information about cultural significance 

People and places (previously “Working together”) 

  • Moved this section to second in the document as this provides key considerations for decision making, before the process of managing change to the historic environment. 
  • Reorganised information under 3 headings; recognising the relationship, considering the long-term, working together 
  • Brought in key concepts from the Talking About Heritage report into this section including centring the access and experience of the historic environment. 
  • Centred principles more around decision making for the historic environment 

Managing change 

  • Refined into 3 targeted principles 
  • Brought definition of impact into this section rather than glossary 
  • Focussed this section on the approach that should be undertaken to implement this policy 

Closed 29 Jun 2026

Opened 8 Jun 2026

Contact

Heritage Policy and Engagement Team

0131 668 8600

heritagepolicy@hes.scot

Overview

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is asking for your views on the Historic Environment Policy for Scotland (HEPS) to inform an update to this national policy. 

HEPS is relevant whenever a decision will affect the historic environment. It can be used to inform policies, strategies and guidance as well as for decision making in the planning system. 

We want to hear about how you use HEPS and how it can be improved to ensure good decision making for the historic environment.  

Background 

The current version of HEPS was published in 2019. You can read the PDF version of HEPS [774.9 KB] or visit our webpage and review the wider context of the policy on the HES website. 

Talking About Heritage 

HES recently completed the Talking About Heritage engagement project, which gathered views from people across Scotland about what heritage means to them and how it should be cared for.  

These insights will help shape the refreshed policy, and your views will take this work further. You can review the Talking About Heritage engagement report to inform your responses. 

Why your views matter

Whether you have never heard of HEPS before, use it everyday, or are somewhere in between, your feedback is really valuable to us.  

Your responses will inform how we update HEPS to ensure it enables good decision making for the historic environment. All the questions are optional so you can choose which ones feel most relevant to you and your role. 

What happens next

Thank you for your interest, this consultation has now closed. We will publish our outcomes/ findings after April 2027.