Registered historic parks and gardens

Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979

As amended by the Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2016, the 1979 Act places a duty upon the Welsh Ministers to compile and maintain a register of sites of special historic interest in Wales that includes:

parks
gardens
designed ornamental landscapes
places of recreation
other designed grounds.

The statutory register came into force on 1 February 2022, and replaces the non-statutory register. It includes nearly 400 sites across Wales and continues to be an active record, incorporating new sites as they are identified.

The statutory register does not impose any new legal restrictions on Wales’ historic parks and gardens or introduce a new consent regime. Registered sites continue to receive the current level of protection through the planning system.

Local planning authorities are expected to take the register into account when preparing local development plans. The effect of a proposed development on a registered site or its setting may also be a ‘material consideration’ in the determination of a planning application.

A listed building or scheduled monument within the confines of a registered historic park or garden will be subject to all relevant consent procedures.

For further information, download our best-practice guidance, Managing Change to Registered Historic Parks and Gardens in Wales.