Conservation Area Appraisal vs Heritage Impact Assessment
A Conservation Area Appraisal (CAA) is an LPA-authored document describing what makes a whole conservation area special. A Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) is an applicant-authored document describing the impact of a specific proposal on a specific asset. They are not substitutes, an HIA for a site in a conservation area should cite the CAA as evidence, not replace it.
Who produces each
- CAA: the LPA, often with a heritage consultant. Subject to public consultation. Periodically refreshed.
- HIA: the applicant or their consultant. Submitted with the application. Not consulted on.
How to cite a CAA inside an HIA
Quote the CAA's character-area description for the part of the conservation area where the site sits. Cross-reference the CAA's identified key views. Where the CAA identifies the site itself as a positive contributor, that is your starting position for the significance assessment. Where the CAA identifies the site as 'neutral' or 'negative', you have more room to argue improvement as a public benefit.
When no CAA exists
Construct a proportionate character description using HEAN 1 (Conservation Area Appraisal, Designation and Management) as the methodological template and cite primary sources directly (historic OS maps, listing descriptions, archival photographs). State explicitly in the HIA that no published CAA exists.