What is an Assessment of Significance?
A Guide for Historic Buildings and Heritage Projects
When you’re working with a listed building, a property in a conservation area, or a structure with recognised heritage value, one document that many often miss is the Assessment of Significance.
This isn’t just planning jargon — it’s a vital early step in any heritage-led project, helping you understand what makes a place special and how best to protect and adapt it. Done well this becomes a foundational piece of guidance that informs every design decision taken during the project. It requires a commitment to quality and value of heritage assets.
What Does “Significance” Actually Mean?
In heritage planning terms, significance refers to the value a building or place holds for this and future generations because of its historic, architectural, artistic or cultural interest. It’s not only about age; it’s about stories, craftsmanship, design, setting, industry and community meaning. Locally places like The McManus, Verdant Works, Dundee Museum of Transport and V&A Dundee are all hugely significant, yet they are all from different eras and represent different aspects of our society. Understanding what is important is crucial to successful outcomes. It equally applies to strategic thinking at City scale as to local or domestic projects involving homes of heritage value.
Understanding significance is the foundation of good Conservation practice. Conservation officers, planners and heritage professionals rely on this insight to make informed decisions about managing change. This process is the secret sauce that underpins successful adaptive reuse.
Why an Assessment of Significance Matters
An Assessment of Significance isn’t just a paperwork exercise. It helps you:
Identify the key heritage qualities of a building or site.
Understand what tells the story of its history and development.
Guide design decisions to ensure new work respects these qualities.
Support planning and listed building consent applications with clear justification.
Avoid delays or refusals by addressing heritage concerns early.
By understanding what truly matters, you can design interventions that are sensitive, successful and often highly contemporary.
What an Assessment Typically Covers
A well-prepared Assessment of Significance explores different types of heritage value, such as:
Evidential Value - What the physical fabric reveals about past use, construction and development.
Historical Value - How the building or site connects with past events, people or patterns of activity.
Aesthetic Value - Architectural design, materials, craftsmanship and the overall visual experience.
Communal / Social Value - How communities past or present value the place, whether socially, culturally or symbolically.
This rounded approach ensures you have the full picture of what contributes to the asset’s significance.
When Do You Need an Assessment of Significance?
You will typically need one when you are planning:
Extensions or internal alterations affecting historic fabric.
Work within a Conservation Area to a heritage asset, listed or otherwise.
Changes that may impact the setting of a heritage asset.
Planning or listed building consent applications involving heritage considerations.
It is often required at the very beginning of a project, forming the basis for design decisions and discussions with planning officers.
How an Assessment helps your project.
A thorough Assessment of Significance becomes a practical tool during design and planning:
It clarifies which features must be protected.
It highlights areas where change is possible or even desirable.
It strengthens your planning submission by demonstrating a heritage-led approach.
It reduces the risk of objections or delays.
Ultimately, it supports a more confident and informed design process.
Getting professional support.
Assessments of Significance demand experience, research and a nuanced understanding of heritage policy, many clients choose to work with a conservation-accredited architect or heritage specialist. Professional input ensures the assessment is accurate, balanced and aligned with planning authority expectations.
Related Information | Architect Dundee
For further reading and related heritage services, see:
Frequently Asked Questions | Dundee Architects
-
An Assessment of Significance is typically needed when planning changes to a listed building, a building in a conservation area, or other heritage asset. It helps identify which elements of the building are historically or architecturally important, guiding sensitive design decisions. Local authorities may request this as part of planning or listed building consent applications to ensure proposed works respect the building’s character.
-
An Assessment of Significance evaluates the intrinsic heritage value of a building or site — what makes it special or historically important. A Heritage Impact Assessment, on the other hand, considers how proposed changes will affect that significance. Together, they form a clear picture of what can be altered and what must be retained, helping planners and clients make informed decisions.
-
Submitting an Assessment of Significance can streamline planning applications for alterations to historic buildings. It provides clear, professional guidance to councils, demonstrating that proposed works have considered the building’s heritage value. In Dundee and across Scotland, this often increases the likelihood of approval while reducing delays or requests for additional information.