Historic environment advice and guidance
Our Historic Environment Team gives advice and guidance on the historic environment to a wide range of customers. These include:
- Planners and developers
- Landowners
- National agencies and organisations
- Local societies
- Students
- Individual members of the public.
For more detailed information on how to engage with us, the archaeological process, and our Model Briefs, which set a minimum standard for typical archaeological projects carried out in the county of Staffordshire (not including Stoke-on-Trent or the Peak District National Park), please see SCC's County Archaeology Standard (PDF, 1.84 MB)
Historic Environment Planning Advice and Curatorial Services
We provide formal archaeological advice to the county’s Local Planning Authorities (except Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the Peak District National Park Authority, who have their own advisors).
We also offer an Archaeological Advice Service for developers and manage archaeological work carried out during the planning process (see below for background on planning advice and the historic environment), on behalf of the LPAs.
In addition, we give advice on land management proposals, such as tree felling and woodland grant schemes. These requests should also be made through our Archaeological Advice Service.
More details about our Archaeological Advice and Curatorial Services can be found below. All requests for Archaeological Advice and Curatorial services will need to be submitted and paid-for online:
Requests for Historic Environment Record (HER) searches should also be submitted online via this form (for more details see our HER webpage).
Below is a summary of the planning and curatorial services we provide:
Archaeological Advice Service
Archaeological Advice (fee - £74.40 (£62.00 + VAT))
Our Archaeological Advice Service checks for any known heritage assets, whether they are protected (like listed buildings or scheduled monuments) or not. This includes whether the site is in a conservation area or has other historical or archaeological links. We also assess the site’s potential for archaeology based on current knowledge and highlight any possible issues.
We will provide advice that summarises the site's historic environment interest, whether further assessment is needed, planning recommendations, and suggested wording for planning conditions. This can be submitted with a planning application to show the applicant understands the site's heritage.
We aim to respond within 15 working days.
We recommend seeking our advice as early as possible, ideally before submitting a planning application. Early advice helps applicants provide the right evidence, guide planning decisions, shape mitigation strategies, and avoid costly delays.
Advice on Land Management Schemes (fee - £74.40 (£62 + VAT))
Following Government guidance, landowners, managers, or agents should contact the local historic environment service for advice on land management schemes. This includes projects like:
- Afforestation
- Deforestation
- Forest quarries
- Forest roads
- Woodland management plans
- EIA (Agriculture) applications.
We will highlight any archaeological or historic environment constraints or opportunities, advise on possible impacts, and outline any required actions, surveys, or mitigation related to the proposals.
Curatorial Service
We help make sure archaeological work linked to planning is properly planned, carried out, and reported.
To cover the cost of this work—including projects under permitted development—we charge a fee. This is usually a single fee per application, but large or multi-phase developments may be charged per phase. Extra charges may apply if more work is needed.
The fee includes everything we do, such as site visits, to make sure the work meets standards and planning conditions can be met.
Our Curatorial Service may include some or all of the following, depending on what’s needed: creating a site-specific brief or specification (if required beyond our standard Model Briefs), reviewing and approving Written Schemes of Investigation (WSIs), working with local planning authorities and archaeological teams, carrying out site visits, and reviewing and approving final reports.
Fees are based on the size of the development as set out below:
Production of a specification or brief (£74.40 (£62.00 + VAT)):
Production of specification or brief setting out archaeological requirements of a planning condition.
Small Development (fee £253.20 (£211.00 + VAT)):
Developments up to 1ha in size and single historic building conversions/alteration works. Includes one site monitoring visit.
Medium Development (fee £432 (£360.00 + VAT)):
Developments between 1ha and 15ha and multiple historic building conversions/alteration works. Includes one site monitoring visit.
Large Development (£867.60 (£723.00 + VAT)):
Developments over 15ha. Includes two site monitoring visits.
Additional site visits / meetings (£216 (£180.00 + VAT)) :
Cost for additional site visits (over and above those included in the fees for small, medium and large developments) or attendance at Local Planning Authority meetings.
Infrastructure Projects
For infrastructure projects (such as road, rail or pipeline schemes) please contact the historic environment service to discuss requirements:
Email: her@staffordshire.gov.uk
Our Planning Archaeological Advice and Curatorial services should be ordered and paid for via our online form:
Developer online advice / data request form
Planning Advice Background
To cover our costs, we charge a fee—usually one per application. Bigger or multi-phase projects may cost more. The fee includes everything we do, like site visits, to check the work meets standards and planning rules are followed.
The historic environment forms a material consideration in planning as laid out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (PDF, 695.27 KB) which was issued by Government in March 2012 (updated December 2024).
Section 16 of the NPPF explains how planning decisions should consider all parts of the historic environment. This includes both protected (designated) and unprotected (undesignated) heritage assets.
Paragraph 207 says that when making planning decisions, local authorities should ask applicants to explain the importance of any heritage assets affected by their proposal. This includes how the setting of the asset adds to its value. The amount of detail needed should match how important the asset is and be enough to understand how the proposal might affect it.
To meet this requirement, applicants often need to submit a Heritage Statement. If the site includes or might include heritage assets with archaeological interest, the local authority should ask for a desk-based assessment and, if needed, a field evaluation.
You’ll need a Heritage Statement if your development affects protected heritage sites, their surroundings, or locally listed buildings. If you’re converting old farm buildings, it’s a good idea to write a statement explaining why they are important. You can find helpful advice from Historic England about farm buildings and traditional farmsteads.
A Heritage Statement is also needed when development could affect known or possible archaeological sites, both above and below ground. This is especially important for large developments or those within historic settlement areas. In these cases, or when an Environmental Impact Assessment is required, the historic landscape character should be considered to help protect and enhance local identity and cultural heritage.
Applicants are advised to contact the Historic Environment Record for details regarding the location of heritage assets and for advice relating to both archaeology and historic character (landscape and urban). Guidance on the historic environment in relation to certain settlements is discussed as part of the Staffordshire Extensive Urban Survey.
The NPPF (2012) defines heritage assets as buildings, monuments, sites, places, areas, or landscapes that have historic value and should be considered in planning decisions. These include both designated heritage assets and those identified by local planning authorities, such as locally listed buildings.
Designated Heritage Assets are officially recognised and include:
- World Heritage Sites
- Scheduled Monuments
- Listed Buildings
- Protected Wreck Sites
- Registered Parks and Gardens
- Registered Battlefields
- Conservation Areas.
Stoke on Trent and Peak District National Park
Our Historic Environment service does not give planning advice for sites in the Stoke-on-Trent Unitary Authority area or within the Peak District National Park Authority area.
Please see these pages for more details:
For more details about archaeology and planning policy please see the SCC Archaeology Standard (PDF, 1.84 MB). Historic England have also produced some useful guidance on Planning and Archaeology (PDF, 879.65 KB), whilst the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists have produced a handy guide to archaeological works for construction companies and householders.
Guidance on the Historic Built Environment
Care needs to be taken when repairing or maintaining historic structures.
Standard maintenance methods might not be suitable for keeping historic buildings in good condition or protecting their special character. In some cases, different approaches may be needed.
Some building works may need planning consent, even for routine maintenance or repairs. New development in historic areas should respect their character and appearance, including location, materials, and design. Historic structures can also provide habitats for protected species like bats or great crested newts. Always seek ecological advice before work begins.
These guidance notes explain national conservation laws and the usual rules for repairs and design work.
Detailed advice on repair and design principles that commonly apply to works to historic structures can be found in:
Historic Structures and Areas: Practical Conservation and Design (PDF, 6.8 MB).
Advice on Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Scheduled Monuments can be found here.
