Frequently Asked Questions

These FAQs are designed to answer some of the most common questions we receive about our heritage consultancy services, how we work, and when we’re best placed to help.

They also explain how heritage advice fits alongside planning, what information we need to provide clear quotes, and what to expect when working with Aurora Heritage. We recommend reading through these before getting in touch, as they may help you decide the most appropriate next step for your project.

Aurora Heritage is an independent heritage consultancy providing expert advice on historic buildings, heritage assets and sensitive sites. Our work focuses on heritage-led assessment, reporting and consent support, helping clients understand significance, risk and opportunity so that change is justified, proportionate and policy-aligned from the outset.

We do not act as a lead planning consultancy. Where planning input is required, we work collaboratively with trusted planning and landscape associates to support robust applications. This allows us to focus on delivering robust, proportionate heritage advice, whilst ensuring planning is handled by specialists best placed to lead that process.

We work primarily with professional clients on commercial, residential and public sector projects involving heritage assets, including:

  • Listed buildings

  • Conservation areas

  • Complex or sensitive heritage sites

  • Commercial and mixed-use developments

We are best suited to projects where heritage is considered early and proportionately, regardless of scale.

Our clients include:

  • Developers

  • Architects and designers

  • Planning consultants

  • Commercial and public sector organisations

  • Local planning authorities

We work collaboratively as part of wider project teams and are not generally the right fit for speculative or last-minute applications where heritage input is sought only to retrospectively justify decisions.

A Heritage Statement explains the significance of a heritage asset and assesses the impact of proposed change. It is often required to support planning or listed building consent applications involving historic buildings or sites.

Our Heritage Statements are tailored to the site and proposal, avoiding generic or overly precautionary reporting, and focusing on what is genuinely relevant to the planning decision-making process.

Yes. We offer fixed pricing across all of our services, with clearly defined scopes of work wherever possible.

This provides clarity on cost and deliverables from the outset, helps projects budget effectively, and avoids scope creep or unexpected fees later in the process.

Timescales vary depending on the complexity of the site and proposals. For straightforward projects, our typical turnaround times are:

  • Standard service: 10–15 working days

  • Priority service: 5–7 working days

Timescales run from instruction, or from the site visit where one is required. We confirm realistic programmes at the outset and provide clear context around what can and cannot be achieved within those timescales.

We do not offer rushed or speculative turnaround promises for complex or high-risk sites.

Yes. Early heritage input is often the most valuable.

We regularly support feasibility work, early design stages and pre-application discussions, helping teams identify constraints and opportunities before significant design effort, time and cost is committed.

Yes. We work on projects across England, Scotland and Wales.

Our team operates remotely, with consultants based in London, Nottingham and Hull, allowing us to support projects nationwide.

To provide an accurate quote, we typically require:

  • Full site address (ideally with a location plan if available - even a Google map screenshot with a circle around it would help!)

  • A description of the proposed works and/or architectural plans

  • Optional: photographs of the proposed areas for development

Providing clear information at the outset helps us confirm an appropriate scope and fixed price.

No — and that’s intentional.

We are best placed to support projects where heritage advice is valued, proportionate and integrated early. If a project requires full planning consultancy services or sits outside our specialist heritage remit, we may recommend alternative routes or trusted associates.

You can either:

Both routes include upfront information requirements to ensure the advice we provide is proportionate, relevant and aligned with your project goals from the outset.

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