Participating in the Past: Sites and Monuments Records and Historic Environment Records

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6.5 Sites and Monuments Records and Historic Environment Records

Sites and Monuments Records – in future likely to be known as ‘Historic Environment Records’ which may have a broader subject base – are recognised as the backbone of local and national archaeological services, as well as being repositories of detailed local information (see DCMS 2003a). Their development so far has been aided by recognition of their importance for local planning issues and, increasingly, as critical educational and research assets. Pressure is being brought on these local records to incorporate information on the built and natural historic landscapes, where they do not already contain such material, yet despite the key role they obviously play, remarkably, maintaining these databases is still not a statutory responsibility for local authorities.

Historic Environment Records should be seen as a public resource and part of a two-way process, not merely as planning tools. They should encourage public feedback and engagement and should become generally more accessible. Recent government proposals for amending historic environment legislation, for example, are strongly in favour of better local access to heritage information (DCMS 2003b, paras 9, 62) . The creation of web-based services such as Scotland’s CANMORE and CANMAP together with its ‘Accessing Scotland’s Past’ initiative, should be strongly encouraged. Assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund continues to be of great value in developing initiatives in several areas.

  • Recommendation 5: That the Government should be further pressed by national archaeological bodies to place Historic Environment Records on a statutory basis and to encourage their general development and greater public accessibility. National heritage organisations should provide active support for local Historic Environment Records to enable them to achieve nationally-agreed benchmarks for good practice.