Heritage Statement Template , Sample Sections and Wording (2026)

One-page template structure

• Paragraph 1. Asset identity (address, list entry number, grade, listing date), works proposed, applicant.
• Paragraph 2. Significance , what makes the asset important, in 80 to 120 words, walking the four heritage values.
• Paragraph 3. The proposal , what is changing, where, in what materials.
• Paragraph 4. Impact and mitigation , locate the harm on the less-than-substantial spectrum and identify the mitigation that brings it down.
• Paragraph 5. Public benefit and conclusion , why the LPA should consent under NPPF ¶208.

Sample wording , significance paragraph

The property is a Grade II listed early-19th-century townhouse in a London Brick Italianate group. Its principal significance is aesthetic , the survival of an unbroken stucco-fronted terrace contributing positively to the conservation area's character , and historical, as an illustrative example of speculative residential development in the 1820s. The principal-elevation fenestration, the railings and the front door retain original or historically-correct fabric.

Sample wording , impact and mitigation paragraph

The proposed rear extension affects the rear elevation only, removes one 20th-century replacement window of no special interest, and is set behind the existing rear-projection ridge line so as not to be visible from the public realm. The harm to the significance of the asset is located at the lower end of the less-than-substantial spectrum under NPPF ¶208. Mitigation is achieved by use of lime mortar, brick selected to match the existing rear stock, and reinstatement of a historically-correct timber sash to the affected opening.

What to avoid

• Restating the listing description without going beyond it.
• Boilerplate about 'preserving historic character' without identifying what character.
• Failure to locate the harm on the spectrum.
• Failure to identify any public benefit, however modest.