Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
What does a heritage statement cost?
A heritage statement is a professional report, so it is priced as professional time, and the honest answer to the fee question is that it depends on how much work a proportionate assessment of your asset requires. This page sets out every factor that moves a heritage consultant's fee, with no invented figures, and puts your application in front of consultants who will quote against a written scope.
The process
- Tell us about the asset and the proposals. Two minutes, no account.
- We pass your details to heritage consultants covering the area, and to no one else.
- They contact you with a fee proposal against a written scope. Compare, appoint, or walk away.
Heritage Statement Cost is an independent site and free introduction service operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd; we pass your details to heritage consultants who send you fee proposals directly. We may receive a fee from those consultants; you pay nothing and are under no obligation. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by Historic England, any local planning authority or any other body named on this site, and nothing here is legal or planning advice. We publish the factors that set a fee rather than a headline price, because national guidance requires the level of assessment to be proportionate to the asset.
What sets a heritage statement fee, 2026
Last updated
Heritage statement fees vary by an order of magnitude between a short proportionate statement for a modest domestic application and a full heritage impact assessment for a graded asset. This table sets out the factors that decide where a given commission sits, why each one moves the fee, and the scoping question that pins it down before you accept a proposal.
We do not publish a headline heritage statement price. The work is professional time against a scope that is set case by case, and the governing test in national planning practice guidance is that the level of detail should be proportionate to the asset's importance, so any single figure would misdescribe most commissions. The factors below are the scoping variables consultants price against, mapped to the statutory and policy requirements they answer. Statutory references are to the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990; policy references are to gov.uk planning practice guidance on the historic environment, both linked in the sources below. Request fee proposals through the form above for a figure against your own scope.
| Fee factor | Why it moves the fee | What to ask for in the proposal |
|---|---|---|
| Designation and grade of the asset | National guidance requires the level of detail to be proportionate to the asset's importance, so a grade I or II* building, a scheduled monument or a designed landscape demands more assessment than an unlisted building in a conservation area | Confirmation of which designations the statement will address, including any asset whose setting is affected |
| Scale of intervention | Replacing windows engages a narrow part of the building's significance; a conversion, extension or partial demolition engages the whole plan form, fabric and setting, and a larger evidence base with it | A scope that lists which elements of the building the assessment will cover |
| Archive and documentary research | Historic maps, deeds, tithe and estate records, historic photographs and county record office visits are chargeable research time; some applications need none and some need days of it | Whether archive research is in scope, capped, or excluded and priced separately |
| Measured or photographic recording | Where fabric will be lost, an authority may expect a level of building recording as a condition or as part of the assessment. Producing it is a separate survey exercise with its own site time | Whether recording is included, and at what level, or whether it will be a later condition |
| Site visit, access and scaffolding | Travel and time on site are direct costs; a roof, a cellar or a high-level detail that cannot be seen without access equipment turns one visit into two | How many site visits are included and what happens if access is refused or incomplete |
| Whether the council has already objected | Writing a proportionate statement in support of a fresh application is a different exercise from answering a conservation officer's specific objection or preparing an appeal statement, which is adversarial and cites policy in detail | Whether the fee covers responses to consultee comments, or only the first submission |
| Harm category in play | Where the proposal engages substantial harm rather than less than substantial harm the justification burden rises sharply, and the report grows with it | The consultant's initial view on the likely harm category before you commit |
| Turnaround required | A statement needed inside a validation deadline displaces other work in a consultant's diary, and expedited work is commonly priced accordingly | The realistic delivery date at the standard fee, and the premium for anything faster |
- National planning practice guidance states that applicants are expected to describe in their application the significance of any heritage assets affected, including any contribution made by their setting, which is the job a heritage statement does (gov.uk, planning practice guidance on the historic environment).
- The same guidance states the level of detail should be proportionate to the asset's importance and no more than is sufficient to understand the potential impact of the proposal on its significance, which is why heritage statement fees are scoped case by case rather than sold at a list price.
- Listed building consent and planning permission are two separate regimes: for some works both are needed, in other cases only one or neither (gov.uk, planning practice guidance on the historic environment).
Cite this page
“What sets a heritage statement fee, 2026”, Heritage Statement Cost, https://heritagestatementcost.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-14). We do not publish a headline heritage statement price. The work is professional time against a scope that is set case by case, and the governing test in national planning practice guidance is that the level of detail should be proportionate to the asset's importance, so any single figure would misdescribe most commissions. The factors below are the scoping variables consultants price against, mapped to the statutory and policy requirements they answer. Statutory references are to the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990; policy references are to gov.uk planning practice guidance on the historic environment, both linked in the sources below. Request fee proposals through the form above for a figure against your own scope.
Related guides
Each one cites where its numbers come from.
Straight answers
How much does a heritage statement cost in the UK?
There is no list price, because the document is professional time against a scope set by the asset rather than the building work. The fee moves with the designation and grade of the asset, the scale of intervention, whether archive research or building recording is needed, site access, whether the council has already objected, the harm category engaged and the turnaround. Ask for a fixed fee against a written scope so proposals compare like for like.
What is a heritage statement?
A report that describes the significance of the heritage assets affected by an application, including the contribution made by their setting, and assesses the impact of the proposals on that significance. National planning practice guidance expects applicants to provide this, at a level of detail proportionate to the asset's importance.
Do I need a heritage statement for a conservation area application?
Usually. Local planning authorities have a duty under section 72 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 to pay special attention to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of a conservation area, and most validation lists require a heritage statement for applications within one. Check the list for your authority, since requirements vary.
Who writes a heritage statement?
A heritage consultant, historic buildings consultant or conservation-accredited architect or surveyor. What matters to a decision-maker is that the author can assess significance credibly and is not simply advocating the applicant's design, so relevant qualifications, membership and comparable local casework are reasonable things to ask about.
Can I write my own heritage statement?
There is no legal requirement that a professional writes it, and for a small application affecting limited significance an owner-written statement is sometimes accepted. The risk is that an inadequate assessment of significance invites a refusal or a request for further information, which costs more time than the fee saved. The higher the grade and the greater the intervention, the less advisable it is.
Is this quote service really free?
Yes, free to you, with no obligation to appoint anyone. We pass your details only to heritage consultants covering your area, who send you fee proposals directly. We may receive a fee from those consultants, which is how the service is funded.