Government policy on Gardens and Designed Landscapes and Properties in Care has been launched by Scottish Ministers.
The programme of Scottish Historic Environment Policy papers (SHEPs) sets out Ministers’ policies to ensure sustainable use and management on diverse areas of the historic environment.
The SHEP on Gardens and Designed Landscapes sets out policy in this area for the first time in a decade, superseding part of the Memorandum of Guidance on Historic Buildings and Conservation Areas (1998). Ministers will continue to identify nationally important Gardens and Designed Landscapes, so that they can be taken account of in the planning process.
The SHEP for Properties in Care (PIC) sets out in one place for the first time a range of policy relating to taking monuments into state care, safeguarding and maintaining them, and providing educational and other facilities to a wide range of visitors, both from Scotland and further afield.
The Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes, which identifies sites of national importance at the time of designation, was first published in 1987 and contains 386 sites from across the country. Sites on the Inventory must be considered by planning authorities when proposals affect them. The SHEP encourages local authorities to develop policies for the appropriate treatment of Inventory gardens and landscapes.
The Properties in Care SHEP sets out the criteria for taking properties into the care of Scottish Ministers, how they are maintained and conserved, and how Historic Scotland will manage access, activity on the sites and proposals for change.
Historic Scotland cares for 345 historic attractions across Scotland spanning over 5000 years of Scotland’s history and culture. These include prehistoric standing stones, medieval abbeys, gardens, palaces, lighthouses, cathedrals and magnificent castles such as Edinburgh Castle, Calanais Standing Stones and New Abbey Corn Mill. The portfolio of properties attracts over 3 million visitors annually.
