Setting Assessment vs Heritage Impact Assessment , GPA 3 Explained
Not usually. A Setting Assessment is the analytical method prescribed by GPA 3 (The Setting of Heritage Assets, 2nd ed.) for evaluating impact on setting. In a UK planning submission it almost always sits inside an HIA as a dedicated chapter, rather than as a standalone document. The exception is large infrastructure (wind, solar, telecoms) where a freestanding Setting Assessment is sometimes submitted alongside the EIA Heritage Chapter.
The GPA 3 five-step method
- Step 1. Identify which heritage assets and their settings are affected.
- Step 2. Assess whether, how and to what degree these settings contribute to significance.
- Step 3. Assess the effect of the proposed development on the significance of the asset(s).
- Step 4. Explore the way maximising enhancement and minimising harm can be achieved.
- Step 5. Make and document the decision and monitor outcomes.
Does setting include views from the asset, or only views to it?
Both, per GPA 3. The 2nd edition is explicit: setting is not a 'curtilage', it is the surroundings in which a heritage asset is experienced , and 'experienced' covers views to, views from, kinetic experience, historic associations, and intervisibility with related assets. This wider definition is why a telecoms mast 1.5 km from a listed manor can be in-scope for a Setting Assessment.
When a freestanding Setting Assessment is appropriate
- Wind, solar or telecoms infrastructure that does not touch the asset but is visible from it.
- Tall buildings in cities where multiple WHS or designated-asset settings interact (typical in London, Edinburgh, Bath).
- Section 73 variations where the only material change is to setting.
Cost implication
A Setting Assessment chapter inside an HIA adds typically £400 to £1,500 to the headline fee, depending on the number of assets in the study area and whether Townscape and Visual Impact Assessment (TVIA) photomontages are required.