Scheduled Monuments

Sites and Monuments may be Scheduled for protection under Article 3 of The Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects (Northern Ireland) Order 1995. They are selected on the basis of criteria published in Planning Policy Statement 6 (PPS 6): Planning, Archaeology and Built Heritage (1999) and include sites dating from 7000 BC to the 20th century, such as prehistoric tombs, earthworks of all kinds, castles churches, maritime sites, canals, World War 2 defences and the Belfast Shipyard ‘Samson and Goliath’ cranes.

1800 historic monuments in Northern Ireland are scheduled at March 2009 from a total of approximately 35,000 known sites across Northern Ireland. The Scheduling Programme is ongoing and more sites are added to the Schedule every year.

The Schedule

The Schedule of protected archaeological sites and monuments is compiled and maintained by us for the Department of the Environment under Article 3 of the Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects (NI) Order 1995. It may be consulted at Waterman House, 5-33 Hill Street, Belfast, during normal office hours, or viewed here: The Schedule of Historic Monuments May 2011 (.PDF 471Kb)

Looking after your scheduled monument

When a monument is scheduled, the owner or occupier is responsible for its good maintenance. They will be visited every four years by a Field Monument Warden, who will check the condition of the monument and provide advice on how best to look after it. Often a little basic advice or maintenance can help to avoid some of the most common problems, such as ploughing too close to a monument or cattle erosion, which can damage buried archaeological remains.

Scheduled Monument Consent

Under Article 4 of the Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects (Northern Ireland) Order, it is an offence to carry out the following works to a scheduled monument without Scheduled Monument Consent (SMC):

1. any works resulting in the demolition, destruction or disturbance of, or any damage to, a scheduled monument
2. any works for the purpose of removing or repairing a scheduled monument or any part of it or of making any alterations or additions thereto
3. any flooding or tipping operations on land in, on or under which there is a scheduled monument

Class Consents

Certain works have been defined in the Historic Monuments (Class Consents) Order (Northern Ireland) 2001 as already having consent. These cover certain agricultural works, maintaining a canal, repairing machinery, works urgently necessary for health and safety and works carried out as management agreements.

For any work not clearly having a Class Consent it is necessary to obtain Scheduled Monument Consent (SMC) in advance of works and to carefully comply with the conditions applied.

Applying for Scheduled Monument Consent (SMC)

You can download a Scheduled Monument Consent (SMC) form (.PDF 117Kb) or call 028 9054 3030.

It is advisable to apply for SMC at the earliest possible opportunity in planning a project as further information may be needed to reach a decision. A decision will be issued within three months of receiving sufficient information.

If you require further information about Scheduled monuments please contact 028 9054 3030.