Proposing a Designation

Any member organisation, citizen of the Network or owner may propose a site, building or monument for entry on the Register of Protected Sites. The Heritage Office of the Velocity Interoperability Network also makes proposals itself, most often arising from its survey of buildings and monuments. Every proposal, whoever makes it, is assessed in the same way against the same criteria. Proposals are accepted from Monday 7 September 2026.

A proposal does not need to be made by an expert. The Office needs to know what the site is, where it is, why the proposer believes it is of interest and what evidence supports that belief. The Office's own inspectors carry out the assessment; the proposer's task is to draw the site to their attention and to give them a starting point.

Criteria. The Office assesses every proposal against five criteria. A site need not meet all of them; a site of sufficient interest under one criterion may be designated, but survival is always considered.

Age and rarity

The older a site is, and the fewer comparable sites survive, the more likely it is to merit protection. Sites older than 1850 that survive substantially intact will normally be designated; later sites must show particular quality or rarity. Sites less than thirty years old are designated only in exceptional cases.

Architectural or engineering interest

Quality of design, construction, craftsmanship or engineering; the work of a significant designer; or a good example of a particular type, plan or technique.

Historic interest

Association with the development of the Network, its member organisations or its principal sites, or with events or people of importance to them. The association must be demonstrated by evidence and must be reflected in the fabric of the site.

Group value

The contribution the site makes to a group of buildings or structures, such as a square, a terrace or an industrial complex, where the group as a whole is of greater interest than its parts.

Survival

The extent to which the original fabric, plan and setting survive. A site that has been so altered that its interest can no longer be understood will not be designated, however old it is.

Making a proposal. The steps below apply to every proposal. The Office expects to decide a validated proposal within about four months of receipt.

1. 1

   Step 1: Check the Register

   Confirm that the site is not already on the Register of Protected Sites or among the entries held for assessment. If it is, write to the Office to ask for the entry to be amended rather than making a new proposal.

2. 2

   Step 2: Prepare the proposal

   Set out the name and location of the site, the designation you propose, what the site is and when it was built or made, the criteria you consider it meets and the evidence for each, and its present condition and use. Include photographs of the exterior and, if you have access, the interior, and a plan or map showing the extent you propose. Give the name of the owner if you know it.

3. 3

   Step 3: Submit the proposal by email

   Send the proposal and its attachments to the Office's email address with the subject line 'Proposal for designation'. There is no form and no charge. The Office acknowledges every proposal within five working days and gives it a reference number.

4. 4

   Step 4: Validation

   The Office checks that the proposal identifies the site clearly, that the site is not already protected and that the proposal gives enough information to assess. If it does not, the Office writes to say what is missing. A validated proposal is entered on the list of proposals under assessment, and the owner and the responsible member organisation are informed.

5. 5

   Step 5: Assessment and consultation

   An inspector, and for archaeological sites an archaeologist, visits the site and prepares an assessment against the five criteria. The owner, the responsible member organisation and any other party with an interest are invited to comment on the assessment and have twenty working days to do so. The proposer is sent the same assessment.

6. 6

   Step 6: Decision and entry

   The Office decides whether to designate, at what grade and over what extent, and writes to the proposer, the owner and the member organisation with its reasons. A designated site is entered on the Register and the entry announced in the Newsroom. A declined proposal may be renewed if new evidence comes to light.

Timetable. The periods below are the maximum the Office allows itself at each stage. The consultation period is fixed; the others are often shorter.

Interim protection. A site is not protected while a proposal is being assessed. Where the Office considers that a site under assessment is at immediate risk of works that would destroy the interest for which it might be designated, it may serve an interim protection notice on the owner. The notice has the effect of designation for up to six months, or until the proposal is decided if sooner, and the owner may make representations against it at any time.

Objections. An owner who objects to a proposal should say so during the consultation period, with reasons. The Office takes objections into account but decides on the interest of the site, not on the wishes of the owner or the proposer; the effect of designation on an owner is addressed through the consent procedure, which is designed to accommodate reasonable change. An owner may ask the Office to review a decision to designate within twenty working days of being notified of it.

Seven proposals were received under the interim arrangements during the transition period. All have been carried into this procedure and their proposers informed of the reference number and the inspector assigned. The first decisions on proposals received in September 2026 are expected in December 2026 and will be announced in the Newsroom. Proposals, and questions about a proposal already made, may be sent to contact@heritage.gov.vin. For answers to common questions, see the frequently asked questions.