Passengers walking along a platform at King's Cross Station
King's Cross Station, London © Historic England
King's Cross Station, London © Historic England

Major Projects Service

Our Major Projects Service combines individual Enhanced Advisory Services into a package tailored to your needs under a single Service Level Agreement (SLA).

What are the benefits?

  • Ensure that your project avoids or mitigates harm to the historic environment
  • Get a greater degree of certainty that your project meets the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework before entering the formal planning process
  • You’ll be assigned a Service Manager as your single point of contact for all your enquiries during the course of your project
  • As we charge on a cost recovery basis, you’ll only ever pay for the services that you use
  • Engaging in one agreement for our services, rather than buying services individually, assures that our staffing and resources are available to meet your project timetable

Which kinds of projects are eligible?

Our Service Level Agreements are particularly useful when working up a masterplan, major project, or series of projects. Your project would usually fall within one or more of the following categories:

  • It’s complex and/or multi phased
  • It relates to a single large site
  • Your project relates to a number of sites that are being brought forward at the same time or in close sequence
  • The project will require engagement with Historic England for a minimum of six months

Which services are included?

All of our core Enhanced Advisory Services can be included within a Service Level Agreement, depending on the needs of your project.

Extended Pre-Application Advice

Our pre-application advisory service makes clear what information we'll need to assess your project. We'll tell you how to avoid or minimise harm to heritage assets and comply with policies set out within the National Planning Policy Framework. The advice will also give a good indication of our likely response to your  project once you submit it, thereby giving you a greater degree of certainty.

Listing Enhancement

The service includes a full re-assessment of the significance of a heritage asset within your site that is already listed. You will receive a revised and comprehensive listing description identifying the areas of significance, as well as areas that are not of significance and which may be excluded from designation.

Fast-Track Listing

This allows you to put forward individual sites for consideration for statutory heritage designation or Certificates of Immunity. We  provide our recommendations to the Secretary of State within a specified timetable for consideration.

Screening for Potential Listing

This allows you to capture the listing potential of above ground structures within a defined geographical area/s covered by your project. This service also allows for an overall summary of heritage significance relating to your site and the identification of assets for potential local listing and/or conservation area designation.

Background research

The above core Enhanced Advisory Services can be supported by the provision of records that are held by Historic England.

You may find this kind of information useful to guide your project at the earliest stages, as follows:

  • Access to the Historic Environment Record in London
  • Historic England Archive: Provision of existing research information and materials, including access to the aerial photography collection

What does the SLA cover?

This is a signed agreement between you, as client, and us, as service provider. It’s a standard contract, similar to our existing Enhanced Advisory Service Agreements, but also includes the following sections:

Identification of a service manager

The Service Manager is likely to be one of our officers dealing with your project. This person will be the main point of contact for all enquiries in relation to the SLA and the project delivery.

Performance standards

We agree to provide timely responses to your communications, requests for advice and meetings.

Indicative programme

We agree a project timetable. We do ask that you provide your project timetable at an early stage of contract negotiations to help us scope the likely number of hours and resources that your project will need.

Hourly rates

This provides you with a clear understanding of our charges. These are formulated on a cost recovery basis.

Instruction for non-programmable work

This schedule allows you to add in further stages of your project if and when the need requires without needing to enter into a new SLA.

Contact us

If you would like to discuss this service further then please contact your local Historic England office.