A wide variety of candidates that are not currently listed may be considered for inclusion on the Local Heritage List with the significance of the candidate assessed against the following criteria. The more criteria the candidate aligns with, the greater the potential significance but each candidate will be judged. The Local List should exemplify the best examples of heritage assets within the area and will initially focus on buildings.
Nominations to the List will be called ‘Candidates’ until they are included on the List and must fit the description in Criterion 1 then align with at least two other criteria.
Once nominated and information on the candidate has been gathered, the Local Authority will review the information and make the final decision to add to the list.
Criterion 1 - Type
Buildings and built structures.
Candidates that could be considered include:
- Any buildings; dwellings, industrial, leisure, transport, religious, military, agricultural, public or private in rural and urban areas.
- Buildings may be fully or partially intact but the degree to which it relates to original plan and form and retains original materials may be a factor
- Monuments with strong communal and aesthetic value
- Street furniture and other structures; milestones, boundary stones, post boxes, lamp posts, statues, street surfaces (for example, Cobbled roads), traditionally built walls, gates, railings, and bridges may be considered
Criterion 2 - Age
The age of a candidate may be important, with the range adjusted to account for distinctive local characteristics and building traditions.
Age alone is not enough for a candidate to be included and is often linked to the next criterion, Rarity. However, considering the local context, as a guide:
- buildings constructed before 1850 are less common
- buildings constructed between 1850 and 1919 (Victorian, Edwardian) are more commonly found in the area so quality, design and intactness of original materials and rarity must feature strongly
- buildings constructed between 1919 and 1948 – significance in design, quality, rarity, historic interest or landmark status must feature strongly
- buildings constructed post 1948 which are rare examples or demonstrate exceptional architectural quality or innovative construction techniques may be considered.
- buildings less than 30 years old would not normally be considered.
Criterion 3 - Rarity
Appropriate for all candidates, as judged against local characteristics.
Rarity in the local context can include aspects of style, design, plan form, usage or purpose and construction techniques:
- buildings or structures built to serve uses which are uncommon locally or nationally
- buildings that represent an architectural style uncommon in the area
- surviving wartime structures are rare in the area
- cast iron street signs have been increasingly replaced, so these are becoming rarer
Criterion 4 - Architectural and Artistic interest
Intrinsic design and aesthetic value of a candidate relating to local or national styles, materials, construction and craft techniques or any other distinctive characteristics:
- buildings designed by a notable local architect or architect of national importance may be considered
- buildings that demonstrate good examples of early or innovative building techniques and technology
- buildings that retain original features
- buildings that demonstrate distinctive or exceptional architectural quality, design or craftsmanship
- vernacular buildings and construction methods, for example, timber framed, wattle and daub, will all be considered
Criterion 5 - Group Value
Groupings of candidates with a clear visual design or historic relationship.
Where candidates have age or rarity, or architectural or artistic interest and have a clear visual, design or historic association with one another, the whole group may be considered.
- agricultural farmsteads that retain historic grouping of buildings where there is a high level of intactness of the group
- individual candidates that positively contribute to rural or urban group through design or historical connection
- where buildings or structures add to the setting of a listed building or form a key part of the townscape
Criterion 6 - Archaeological interest
Buildings and built structures that reveal evidence about past human activity within their structure or on their site.
Initially the Merseyside local heritage list will not be looking for open sites with archaeological potential as these will be captured in other ways such as through the planning process. However, buildings with potential to reveal evidence about traditional building methods and materials, or about past human activity would be considered.
Inclusion under this category is likely to be closely associated with age or rarity.
Criterion 7 - Historic Interest
The building or structure contributes to local identity, illustrates important aspects of the area’s social, economic, cultural or military history or has close historical associations with important people:
- buildings or structures associated with an important historic figure or event may be considered
- most war memorials would be considered
- buildings and structures associated with early industry, transport, agriculture, could be considered.
- fine or rare examples of buildings that illustrate local social, economic, or cultural history may be considered.
- buildings or structures where historic interest alone is the main reason for nominating will not be considered.
Criterion 8 - Landmark Status
A candidate with strong communal or historical associations or because it has especially striking aesthetic value, may be singled out as a landmark within the local scene.
Suitable candidates for inclusion could be pubs, banks, civic, educational, and religious buildings where their design and siting create a distinctive focal point in the landscape or townscape. They are usually of a markedly different appearance to surrounding buildings.
- candidates that positively contribute to the street scene, landscape, or locality by providing local distinctiveness and interest
- candidates associated with distinctive communal, commemorative, symbolic or spiritual significance
- candidates that relate to places perceived as a source of local identity, social interaction, and coherence, valued by the wider community, and contributing to collective memory of a place.