If you want to carry out any work that would demolish, damage, remove, repair, alter or add to a scheduled monument, or to carry out any flooding or tipping operations on land in, on, or under a monument you need to obtain scheduled monument consent (SMC) in advance.
Scheduled monuments are nationally important monuments that have been afforded statutory protection through their inclusion in the Schedule of monuments maintained under section 1 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. They have archaeological, architectural, artistic, historic or traditional interest.
How to apply
In England, SMC should be obtained from Historic England, on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
In Scotland, SMC should be obtained from Historic Scotland, on behalf of the Scottish Ministers.
In Wales, SMC should be obtained from Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service.
Applications should be accompanied by:
- a plan identifying the monument
- other plans or drawings as are necessary to describe the works
You’ll receive an acknowledgement letter and all owners/occupiers who are detailed in your application form will be given an opportunity to comment on your proposals.
You may be contacted for further information or to arrange a visit to examine the monument and its site.
You are strongly advised to contact the relevant regional authority for an informal discussion at an early stage when you are considering works that might affect a scheduled monument.
Conditions
Works carried out must comply with any conditions attached to the SMC - eg in relation to the building material that must be used or the way in which the work must be done.
If you do not carry out any works within five years of the grant of the SMC (or other specified period), the consent will cease to have effect at the end of that period.
Fines and penalties
If you carry out any works on a scheduled monument without consent, you are committing a criminal offence and may be fined.
It is also a criminal offence to cause reckless or deliberate damage to a scheduled monument without consent, or to use a metal detector or remove an object found with a metal detector from a protected site without a licence from the relevant authority.