Our decisions

We aim to make our decisions in a timely manner and work to our published service standards. A typical listing or scheduling case may take up to six months to complete – timescales will depend on the complexity of the request. Gardens and designed landscapes and historic battlefields cases will typically take up to nine months.

We publish all of our decisions in a report of handling online on our portal.

After we have taken our decision we are required by law to notify owners, occupiers, tenants and planning authorities affected by the decision to add or amend a designation. The same applies to removals, except where a listed building has been demolished.

Further information on estimated designation timelines

Anyone can ask us to review a designation decision. We will review our decisions if we receive relevant new information which was not available when we made our original decision. Requests can be made using the designation application form.

Decisions to designate listed buildings and scheduled monuments, or to amend existing listed building and scheduled monument designations, can be appealed to Scottish Ministers. Appeals are determined by the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA).

There is no statutory right of appeal for the following:

• listing or scheduling removals

• decisions not to list or schedule

• changes to the Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes

• changes to the Inventory of historic battlefields

• designating or amending historic marine protected areas