ABSTRACT
Architects who work on historic buildings need to know how legislation and government policy applies to heritage assets if they are to advise clients correctly. This chapter considers government policy that exists in legislation for heritage assets. The government has recently radically simplified its statement of policy in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), condensing most of the former series of documents and statements to a single, 57-page document. Section 12 of the NPPF sets out the principles and policies that councils should follow for the conservation and enjoyment of the historic environment, and which should be taken into account when assessing applications to change the historic environment. When making a planning or listed building application, the NPPF will evaluate the strength of the evidence concerning whether the significance of the building is proportionate to the value of the heritage asset.
