Guidance

Broadband Supplier Guidance: Designated Heritage Assets

Published 27 January 2023

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/heritage-asset-guidance-for-broadband-suppliers/broadband-supplier-guidance-designated-heritage-assets

Broadband suppliers should endeavour to avoid building gigabit capable broadband networks in locations that could result in harm to designated heritage assets or their settings.

Designated heritage assets include Scheduled Monuments, Registered Parks and Gardens, Registered Battlefields, Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and World Heritage Sites. Scheduled Monuments and Listed Buildings are legally protected.

When planning the rollout of gigabit capable broadband broadband suppliers should:

  • consult the National Heritage List for England (either via the online mapping tool or the advanced search form) to establish the location of designated heritage assets (other than Conservation Areas) in relation to planned network build
  • consult relevant local Historic Environment Records (HERs) to establish the location of Conservation Areas (and of non-designated heritage assets)
  • have regard to the Cabinet Siting and Pole Siting Code of Practice (2016) in most appropriate siting of broadband infrastructure in relation to nearby heritage assets
  • have regard to the fact that Scheduled Monument Consent (SMC) is required from the Secretary of State for DCMS prior to the undertaking of works to a Scheduled Monument – irrespective of any grant of planning permission from the relevant local planning authority, or any permitted development right that may apply. The Secretary of State’s policy relating to the determination of applications for SMC can be found in the publication Scheduled Monuments (DCMS, 2013)

If the installation of broadband infrastructure in, on or under a designated heritage asset or in its setting is considered unavoidable:

  • broadband suppliers should consult the relevant local planning authority (or, in the case of Scheduled Monuments, Historic England) in advance to understand what permissions may be required and the best routing of networks to avoid harm to the designated heritage asset[footnote 1]
  • broadband suppliers should seek to ensure that the design and siting of infrastructure does not impact on the significance of the designated heritage asset
  • specialist expertise, such as a heritage consultant or planning consultant, may need to be procured by broadband suppliers to advise on steps required to avoid harm to the designated heritage asset, or to identify potential mitigation

  1. There may be a charge by the local planning authority for such services, however this can avoid aborted costs. ↩

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