What could not be achieved without the Bill?

Primary legislation is necessary for the following:

• Owners would gain a formal right to appeal against a listing decision once heritage protection legislation is passed.
  
  
• Following heritage protection legislation, local authorities would gain the power to grant consent for the 2% of cases that include archaeology and currently have to be passed to central government.
  
  
• Historic Environment Records would have statutory force following heritage protection legislation.
  
  
• Interim legal protection would be introduced for historic places being considered for designation.
  
  
• Sites of early human activity would gain better protection where they cannot currently be scheduled.
  
  
• Following heritage protection legislation, the separate registers for listing, scheduling, registration and designated marine sites would be brought together in one simple list.



• After heritage protection legislation, the responsibility for designation would pass from the DCMS to English Heritage.
  
  
• A single Historic Asset Consent would replace separate Listed Building and Scheduled Monument Consent



• Local Authorities would grant all new Historic Asset Consents, including the archaeological cases currently handled by the DCMS.
  
  
• Conservation Area Consent would be merged with Planning Permission.
  
  
• Heritage Partnership Agreements would eliminate the need for multiple consent applications for large or complex sites.