In England and Wales, an amenity society is an organisation which monitors planning and development.

National societies

National amenity societies preserve historic art and architecture and operate at a national level. In England, the six principal societies, known formally as the National Amenity Societies, are statutory consultees on alterations to

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

s, and by law must be notified of any work to a listed building which involves any element of demolition. These societies are: *The

Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) (also known as Anti-Scrape) is an amenity society founded by William Morris, Philip Webb, and others in 1877 to oppose the destructive 'restoration' of ancient buildings occurring in ...

*The

Ancient Monuments Society The Ancient Monuments Society (AMS) is a learned society and registered charity in England and Wales, founded in 1924 "for the study and conservation of ancient monuments, historic buildings and fine old craftsmanship". Since October 2021, the org ...

, since 2021 operating under the working name Historic Buildings & Places *The

Council for British Archaeology The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) is an educational charity established in 1944 in the UK. It works to involve people in archaeology and to promote the appreciation and care of the historic environment for the benefit of present and futu ...

*The

Georgian Group The Georgian Group is a British charity, and the national authority on Georgian architecture built between 1700 and 1837 in England and Wales. As one of the National Amenity Societies, The Georgian Group is a statutory consultee on alterat ...

, concerned with buildings and planned landscapes dating from between 1700 and 1840 *The

Victorian Society The Victorian Society is a UK amenity society and membership organisation that campaigns to preserve and promote interest in Victorian and Edwardian architecture and heritage built between 1837 and 1914 in England and Wales. It is a registered ...

, concerned with buildings built from 1837 to 1914 (also covering

Edwardian architecture Edwardian architecture is a Neo-Baroque architectural style that was popular in the British Empire during the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Architecture up to the year 1914 may also be included in this style. Description Edwardian architecture is ...

) *The

Twentieth Century Society The Twentieth Century Society (C20) is a British charity which campaigns for the preservation of architectural heritage from 1914 onwards. The society's interests embrace buildings and artefacts that characterise 20th-century Britain. It is for ...

, concerned with buildings dating from 1914 onwards The six societies meet several times a year as the Joint Committee of the National Amenity Societies. A database of their casework is provided by the Council for British Archaeology on behalf of the committee. In addition to the above, the Garden History Society is a statutory consultee in relation to planning proposals likely to affect registered historic parks and gardens. Details of the arrangements for handling heritage-related applications are laid out from time to time by the relevant Secretary of State, most recently by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government in 2021.

Local amenity societies

Many civic societies in England and Wales comment non-statutorily on planning and historic building matters within their localities, or within a particular

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

. Some are formally recognised by the local planning authority; for example,

Westminster City Council Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors. The council is currently composed of 31 Labour Party members and 23 Cons ...

maintains a list of recognised consultees which includes the Soho Society and other residents' associations. Some also operate as preservation trusts; for example, Wisbech Society is recognised by

Fenland District Council Fenland may mean: * Fenland, or the Fens, an area of low-lying land in eastern England ** Fenland District, a local authority district in Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, forming part of the Fens ** Fenland Airfield, an airfield near Spalding, ...

as a planning consultee.

References

Town and country planning in England Town and country planning in Wales Organisations based in England {{England-org-stub

National societies

Local amenity societies

See also

References