Scheduled Monument - Criteria For Scheduling

Criteria For Scheduling

To be eligible for scheduling, a monument must be demonstrably of (in the terms of the 1979 Act) "national importance". Non-statutory criteria are provided to guide the assessment. In England these are:

• Period – meaning the length of time it remained in use; significant sites are often multi-period
• Rarity – monuments with few known comparators are more likely to be scheduled
• Documentation – information from earlier investigations at a site can inform on its significance
• Group value – where a monument forms part of a wider geographical landscape of important sites
• Survival/Condition – the degree to which the surviving remains convey the size, shape and function of the site
• Fragility/Vulnerability – threats to the site from natural agencies, tourism or development can lead to a monument being scheduled for its protection
• Representivity – how well the monument represents diverse similar types and/or whether it contains unique features
• Potential – its ability to contribute to our knowledge through further study.

The Scottish criteria were revised after public consultation between 2006 and 2008.

There is no appeal against the scheduling process and adding a monument to the schedule may be a process requiring a great deal of research and consideration. The process can be accelerated for sites under threat, however. In England, English Heritage gathers information on a site, defines a boundary around it and advises the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport of its eligibility for inclusion on the schedule. In Scotland and Wales Historic Scotland and Cadw are part of central government and act on behalf of the relevant ministers.