Managing and Protecting our Historic ... - Historic Scotland

10 | Managing and Protecting our Historic Environment What is Changing?
As the designating body, information on
scheduled monuments is available online from
Historic Scotland’s website: http://data.historicscotland.gov.uk.
Here you can download maps
and copies of the legal documentation for
each scheduled monument, as well as find out
about other types of designation, such as listing.
If you do not have access to the web, then
you can request this information from Historic
Scotland direct.
Other sources of information on scheduled
monuments are as follows:
• Scheduling documents are available to
anyone searching the Register of Sasines or
the Land Register for the title to a property.
• Historic Scotland also makes its data available
on PASTMAP ,
a website jointly developed with the Royal
Commission on the Ancient and Historical
Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), where
you can search for information on Scotland’s
historic environment from multiple sources.
What is Scheduled Monument Consent
(SMC)?
Once a monument is scheduled, the prior
written permission of Scottish Ministers is required
for most works, including repairs. This is a process
known as scheduled monument consent.
In 2009/10 Historic Scotland processed 238
applications for SMC. If a monument is both
listed and scheduled, only SMC is required
for any relevant work. Development close to
a scheduled monument which may have
an adverse impact on its physical setting is a
material consideration in the planning system.
Any person carrying out unauthorised works
or allowing unauthorised works to be carried
out on a scheduled monument, such as the
demolition or destruction of a scheduled
monument without consent, is guilty of a
criminal offence.
What is the ‘Class Consents Order’?
Under the Ancient Monuments (Class
Consents) (Scotland) Order 1996 (the ‘Class
Consents Order’), consent is automatically
conferred on certain works affecting scheduled
monuments, with no need to obtain specific
written SMC in each case. For example, if
ploughing was taking place on the monument
in a 10-year period up to the date when the
works commence, then similar ploughing
may continue without SMC. However, not all
agricultural activity is automatically covered
by class consents. It is important to note that
most changes to an earlier agricultural regime
(for example, deeper ploughing, sub-soiling or
drainage works) would need SMC. Conversely, a
change of use from ploughing to pasture would
not require SMC.