Number 3: 70th Anniversary of the 1947 Town and Country Planning Act
Listing identifies the buildings, sites and landscapes which are architecturally or historically special enough to receive protection, so they can be enjoyed by current and future generations.
This year marks 70 years since the Town and Country Planning Act of 1947 which was the birth of the listed building system we know today.
The first lists were 'Salvage Lists', compiled as an emergency measure after the widespread bomb destruction of the Second World War, to identify which buildings were special enough to be protected in post-war rebuilding.
Throughout the following 70 years, The List has grown and today has over 400,000 entries including 710 windmills, 514 pigsties, 262 palaces, 72 piers, 16 plague crosses, 13 dung pits, three scoreboards, two fairground rides and one rocket.
In this edition of Heritage Online Debate we consider the designation and where the system is going, enforcement and the challenges presented. To start the debate we invited some prominent people to share their insights with us. We hope that you'll contribute to this debate too. Not only on the articles below, but also with your thoughts on how to progress this agenda within the heritage sector.
Please send your responses to Sarah Tunnicliffe and share this article on social media via the tab on the left.
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