1 Overview
We assess three main types of proposals:
- proposals to add a garden or designed landscape to the Inventory
- requests for reviews of existing Inventory sites
- requests for sites to be removed from the Inventory
Assessing a proposal may involve a number of detailed steps before we can reach a final view.
For large designed landscapes with multiple owners, this part of the process can sometimes be more difficult.
Find out how to propose a garden or landscape for the Inventory.
2 Research
Evidence Gathering and Assessment
When we receive an application we will publish the case on our Portal and welcome comments and information about the site to inform our assessment. We will carry out research to assess the garden and designed landscape using the selection guidance and will consider the evidence submitted to us. A wide range of sources may be considered and this stage may also include a site visit. This stage can take a number of weeks to complete.
We write to the relevant parties if we find that the garden and designed landscape doesn’t meet the criterion of national importance for inclusion in the Inventory or if we don’t intend to proceed for any other reasons.
3 Consultation
Following research, we evaluate the garden or designed landscape and reach an initial view on its merit to the Inventory.
If we find that the site may be of national interest, we prepare a draft Inventory description and boundary map.
We then consult with the planning authority and the owner (where possible) about this view. We also welcome views from interested parties through our portal.
We will also consult if we propose a change to the boundary of an existing Inventory site.
We are primarily concerned with views that relate to the cultural significance of the site. We also consider comments on the purpose and implications of designations.
The consultation period is usually 21 days. For more complex sites or larger projects this stage can take longer.
4 Completion
Following consultation, we consider the responses and make a final decision about whether to:
- include the garden or designed landscape in the Inventory
- amend the record of an existing Inventory entry
- remove a site from the Inventory
We will inform the owner and planning authority of the outcome of the case.
5 Review a decision
Use our application form to ask us to review a site on the Inventory.
We will only review a very recent decision to add a site to the Inventory if there is good reason to do so.
Such reasons might include:
- severe loss to the site since its designation
- significant evidence, not previously considered, relating to the site's merit
6 Notification of designation
We will try to contact the owner of a site that is being considered for the Inventory.
We will normally tell you if a site that you own or occupy has:
- been added to the Inventory
- been removed from the Inventory
- had the boundary of the Inventory record changed, if this directly affects you
We will also inform the planning authority, and we will let it know about all removals.
You can write to us if you want to know who proposed a site for inclusion on the Inventory. We consider each request individually. Data Protection legislation may mean that we can’t name the proposer.
Send your request to:
Designations
Historic Environment Scotland
Longmore House
Salisbury Place
Edinburgh
EH9 1SH
Or email: designations@hes.scot
7 Inventory criteria
The criteria for defining national importance are set out in the Designation Policy and Selection Guidance 2019.
We assess gardens and designed landscapes against these seven value-based criteria:
- artistic interest
- historical interest
- horticultural interest
- architectural interest
- archaeological interest
- scenic interest
- nature conservation interest
A site’s condition and its overall integrity are also important factors.
Inventory sites usually have a mixture of features such as:
- built structures
- planting
- open grounds
- landforms
- water management
- archaeological remains
- natural landscape features
All such features may contribute to the value of a site. Some elements may be important enough to be designated in their own right – whether by us as listed buildings or scheduled monuments, or by Scottish Natural Heritage for their scientific or nature conservation value.
All sites included in the Inventory are considered to be of national importance. There is no category or grading system to show relative merit.
Sites are considered for the Inventory on a case-by-case basis. In exceptional circumstances, we may not:
- designate a garden or designed landscape that is found to meet the criteria
- review an existing Inventory site
Such circumstances might include but aren’t limited to:
- development proposals that affect the character of the site
- an appeal period or an appeal against refusal of planning permission
- other development proposals
Maintaining the Inventory
We welcome requests to assess and reassess sites for the Inventory. We do this in partnership with stakeholders and landowners.
Find out how to propose a garden or landscape for the Inventory.
8 Service standards and timescales
Designations Service
Providing the right designations in the right place is our core purpose. It is essential for the effective recognition and protection of the historic environment.
Our overall aim is to deliver a high quality, transparent and professional service. As a public body, we follow the principles set out in the Scottish Regulators Strategic Code of Practice. We make improvements to our service based on your feedback and from lessons learned.
Handling designation requests
We welcome requests to consider new sites for designation and to review existing protected sites. Anyone can submit a request, including local authorities, owners and occupiers and interested parties. We deal with hundreds of requests every year. These range from simple updates to designation records and minor corrections to boundaries or mapping, to the review of large sites with multiple buildings or structures. Cases are often complex involving extensive research, site inspection, engagement and consultation.
When you submit a request, we will let you know how we are going to deal with it. Our role is to decide on whether a site or place meets the criteria for designation and whether existing protected places meet the requirements to inform decisions about possible change.
While we will consider every request, we will not treat each request in the same way. We will decide based on our principles below whether we need to carry out a detailed designation review and if so what priority that review will be given.
Priorities for designation requests
Our timescales vary depending on the circumstances of the case. We assess each request individually and will prioritise based on the following factors:
- the potential impacts of development on the site or place, the level of change and the timescales involved
- whether undesignated sites and places are unoccupied and/or deemed to be at risk of loss or damage
- the interests of communities or individuals in the site or place
- if the site or place is already designated, whether the existing record provides sufficient information to inform decisions
- whether our initial review suggests an existing protected site may not be valid
For example, we will consider undesignated sites at risk to be the highest priority for review. We will also treat as a high priority existing designated sites that have inadequate records and which are affected by development proposals. We will take any information we have about the timings of the proposals into account.
Where we are satisfied after our initial review that the protection of a site is adequate for the purposes of decision–making in planning and development, we will not carry out a detailed review of a site. In this circumstance, we recommend that you seek advice on development proposals from planning authorities.
We will not prioritise requests to make certain types of changes to existing designations. This includes, for example, requests to change the category of a listing or minor updates to historical information. Our focus will be on updating records where we think they are not adequate to inform decisions.
Some sites may be considered for recording and/or further research in the first instance or for a thematic designation project. These types of requests may take longer to complete, and we will let you know if this is the case.
We ask that you let us know if circumstances affecting the site under review change so we can reconsider the priority for review.
Timescales
We aim to respond to general telephone, email and postal queries within 10 working days. Our preferred method of communication is by email.
When you submit a designation request (either for new site or a review of an existing site) using our form, you will receive an automatic email acknowledgement. We may ask you for more information before we can consider your request further.
We will contact you again within 3 months either to tell you the outcome of your request or to tell you how we intend to handle your request if it has not been concluded in that time.
Our overall aim is to complete individual designation requests within 9 months. In 2026/7 we expect to complete 70% of cases within this timeframe. We publish our performance every year in our Planning Performance Framework Reports.
Timescales and case types
Some cases will take less than 9 months to complete - for example, essential corrections to site information and data improvements. We will also aim to let you know within 3 months if we think an existing designation is adequate and no significant changes are needed.
Other cases will take longer than 9 months depending on their individual circumstances. This is usually when a detailed assessment and public consultation is required which normally applies to proposals for new protected places and substantial or complex changes to existing sites.
Requests which are not identified as a priority and those which are better treated as projects will also have extended timescales beyond 9 months. When we decide that a request should be dealt with through a project we will let you know.
Feedback and complaints
We welcome feedback about our service. Please let us know what you think. We use this information to help improve our service.
If you still don’t like a decision we’ve taken about a site our place after further enquiries, you can make a complaint.
Contact information
You can follow designation cases by checking the Historic Environment Portal and by using the Case ID (e.g. 300065300) or by contacting us by email or by telephone.
Telephone: 0131 668 8914
Email: designations@hes.scot