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Cyngor Sir Ynys Môn - Isle of Anglesey County Council

Scheduled ancient monuments


The National Assembly for Wales is required to compile and maintain a schedule of ancient monuments of national importance.

The term ancient monuments is applied to a very wide range of archaeological sites. Some examples range from medieval castles to ancient burial grounds.

Cadw is responsible for identifying which monuments may be scheduled. Cadw is guided in its identification of sites by the Assembly’s non-statutory criteria for scheduling ancient monuments. Sites are also identified for consideration by other bodies such as the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW), the four regional Welsh Archaeological Trusts, and local authority and national park archaeologists.

The owner and occupier will be notified once the scheduling process has been completed. The scheduling information will include a description of the site, together with a map showing the boundary of the scheduled area.

Nearly all scheduled ancient monuments are archaeological sites, ruins or buildings for which there is little prospect of economic use. This is what distinguishes them from Listed Buildings. A structure cannot be scheduled as an ancient monument if it is in use either as a dwelling house or for ecclesiastical purposes. When structures are both scheduled and listed the scheduling process takes precedence over Listed Building legislation.

The aim of scheduling is to ensure the long-term preservation of a site. Any proposal to carry out works at a scheduled ancient monument which would have the effect of demolishing, destroying, damaging, removing, repairing, altering, adding to, flooding, or covering up a monument must be the subject of an application for scheduled monument consent. Indeed, an application for scheduled monument consent also has to be made for works which may be beneficial to the monument, such consolidating masonry, or for conducting a research excavation.

It is an offence to carry out such works at the site of a scheduled ancient monument without first obtaining scheduled ancient monument consent. Applications for scheduled monument consent are considered in this light with a presumption against proposals which would cause damage to, significantly alter or affect the setting of a monument.

If you wish to carry out work to a scheduled monument you will need to obtain scheduled monument consent. Planning permission alone is not sufficient to authorise the works.

Scheduled monument consent is administered by Cadw. It is important to note that consent can be granted only for detailed proposals. Unlike planning permission, there is no provision for granting outline consent.

If you wish to access further information on Scheduled Ancient Monuments you can contact Cadw.