Nationally important sites of an archaeological character and monuments are given legal protection by being placed on a schedule. Only man-made structures, features and remains can be scheduled.
Potential sites are identified by Historic England who advise the Secretary of State on which sites should be added to the schedule. The term 'monument' cover a whole range of archaeological sites, so they may not always be ancient or visible above ground. There are over 200 classes of monuments ranging from prehistoric sites to WWII defences.
Plymouth has 34 scheduled ancient monuments. You can search the full list of locations on the Historic England website.
Search for a scheduled ancient monument
Information in relation to both listing and scheduling of buildings and monuments can be found below:
Carrying out works or demolition on a scheduled ancient monument
You need to obtain consent from Historic England if you want to demolish or alter a scheduled ancient monument in a way which affects its historic fabric or character. This applies to works both above and below ground. You should consult with them at an early stage to avoid any possible conflict.
You can use our development enquiry service for a one hour online historic environment pre-application advice and information meeting held on MS Teams with a Historic Environment Officer. Face to face meetings either at Ballard House or on site can be requested to discuss your proposal subject to officer availability. Please see the Strategic Planning & Infrastructure Fees Policy to confirm the cost of the meeting.
Email planningconsents@plymouth.gov.uk or call 01752 304366 for more information and to book an appointment.
Apply for scheduled ancient monument consent
It's an offence to damage a scheduled monument and commencing work without consent could result in a fine.