Commemorative plaques scheme guidelines and criteria

Criteria for the approval of commemorative plaques

In deciding whether a nomination of a person or event to be commemorated with a plaque under this scheme, an openly-published set of criteria will be applied:

To commemorate a person, at least ten years should have passed since their death. They should be:

• sufficiently famous to be familiar to the succeeding generation or be regarded as sufficiently significant within their field
• their achievements must have made a lasting and significant contribution
• the building on which the plaque will be fixed must be directly and significantly related to the proposed person

In addition:

• plaques will not normally be installed on hotels or public venues (eg concert halls) where connections with the building were transitory
• a person cannot be commemorated on more than one plaque within the scheme/city

To commemorate an event:

• the event should have happened at least 25 years ago
• the event should be instantly recognisable to many of the general public
• the event should be of special historical interest or significance in the history of Salford or the country as a whole
• the building proposed for installation must be directly related to the event

Additional considerations:

• only plaques that will be visible to passers-by will be approved - an appropriate location for the plaque should be identified, where members of the public are able to view it from a public road or street without needing to enter any private property
• it will be necessary for applicants to get the agreement of the building owner for a plaque to be installed on their building
• exceptional cases will be considered on their merits, subject to the submission of a thoroughly researched and justified case
• this scheme can only consider proposals for plaques that are sited within the administrative boundaries of Salford City Council

Funding

The council will be responsible for assessing the costs and carrying out the installation of the plaque. Applicants under the scheme must ensure that they have sufficient funds in place before their application can be considered. In order that your application can be processed you must provide confirmation that you or the organisation which you represent will pay all costs and any fees incurred.

Planning requirements

It is the responsibility of the applicant to comply with all relevant planning requirements. Formal consent from the planning authority will be required if any plaque is to be erected on a listed building, and there may also be constraints where the building is in a conservation area.

Building consent

A plaque can only be erected with the formal consent of the building owner. The consent of all parties who have a relevant legal interest in the site of the proposed plaque will be required. All applications must be accompanied by a building consent form to confirm that the owner of the building on which the plaque is requested to be installed, and any other parties with a relevant legal interest in the site, have given their consent. The building consent form is available to download below.

Ownership of and responsibility for plaques

Once it is installed, any plaque becomes part of the property of the owner of the building, regardless of the status of the group or individual responsible for its installation or funding, unless a formal agreement is signed by the building owner states otherwise. The owner of the building should be encouraged to carefully consider the proposal before making a decision which will affect themselves as well as subsequent owners, occupants and tenants.

Maintenance of commemorative plaques installed under the scheme will be the responsibility of the building owner. Salford City Council and Salford Community Leisure will not be liable or responsible for the maintenance, repair or renewal of the plaque.

How to apply

Submit a proposal for a new commemorative plaque

This page was last updated on 20 March 2023