What is designation?

Designation is the legal recognition of some of our most important historic sites and places.

Through designation, we seek to ensure that the cultural, social, environmental and economic value of Scotland’s historic environment makes a strong contribution to the development and wellbeing of the nation and its people.

Designation ensures that sites and places are recognised by law through the planning system and other regulatory processes. The level of protection and how a site or place is managed varies depending on the type of designation and its laws and policies.

The law sets out that HES can designate sites and places as long as they meet certain legal requirements. These requirements are brief, so we have developed the following policy and selection guidance to help in deciding what can be designated. It has been developed using research and consultation, taking into account previous policy documents about how the historic environment should be recognised and protected.