Scotland's Protected Historic Places

Historic environment designation is a core function of Historic Environment Scotland (HES). It supports decision-making in planning, property maintenance, and archaeological work. 

The way a place is designated has implications for owners, developers, local authorities, and communities. 

In 2024-25, we undertook a strategic review of our designation function to reflect on our approach and assess whether it remains fit for the future in a time of significant change. 

The review gathered baseline data on designation coverage and record quality, identifying challenges and opportunities. Working with MainStreet consultants, we engaged with around 100 heritage and planning stakeholders across Scotland and shared our discussion paper Towards a Strategy to inform understanding. 

We then developed a draft strategy based on the review’s findings and sought extensive feedback through public consultation. 

This evidence base and stakeholder input have shaped our final strategy, which sets out how we will take forward and strengthen historic environment designation in the years ahead.