The long-awaited Heritage White Paper for England & Wales, Heritage Protection for the 21st Century, was published in March after seven years of consultation and debate.

English Heritage warmly welcomed the publication of the White Paper that is intended to strip out the bureaucracy of the heritage protection system and demystify the process of listing, making it fairer and more accessible.

For the first time, house owners will be consulted when their house is being considered for listing and they will have the right to appeal. It will be easier to make changes to complex listed sites. And the power to list buildings will be devolved to English Heritage from the Department of Culture Media & Sport (DCMS).

The proposals in Heritage Protection for the 21st Century are based on three core principles: the need to develop a unified approach to the historic environment; maximising opportunities for inclusion and involvement; supporting sustainable communities by putting the historic environment at the heart of an effective planning system.

According to Sean O\'Reilly, director of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC), which represents local authority conservation officers and other professionals: "The introduction of unified legislation on the management of historic places is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for conservation professionals to shape the rules to which they work."

The Country Land & Business Association (CLA), many of whose members own listed buildings, says: "This is a very encouraging report which backs up what the CLA and others have been saying about the disparity between the detailed and confusing heritage protection regimes on the one hand and the lack of real Government support on the other."

The consultation period on the White paper closes on Friday, 1 June. The full, 72-page report is obtainable from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and downloadable from their website at the address below. Click on \'Heritage Protection for the 21st Century\' on the home page

The publication of the White Paper by the Government follows a protracted period of negotiation with the heritage industry that started with the publication of a consultation paper in July 2003.

In June 2004 the Government published Review of Heritage Protection: The Way Forward, which proposed reforms to the ways in which the historic environment is protected.

Comments on the White Paper should be sent to:

(for England) Leila Brosnan, Architecture & Historic Environment Division, DCMS, 2-4 Cockspur Street, London SW1Y 5DH.

(for Wales) Matthew Coward, Designations Branch, Cadw, Welsh Assembly Government, Plas Carew, Units 5/7 Cefn Coed, Nantgarw, Cardiff CF15 7QQ.