Streamlining Listed Building Consent

Streamlining listed building consent - lessons from the use of management agreement - A research report 

English Heritage and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) recently commissioned research into managing listed buildings more effectively. The research looked at the potential of management guidelines or agreements and other possibilities, such as schedules of consent, to help streamline the listed building consent regime by making it more efficient and predictable. The study found that experience of using management guidelines and agreements demonstrated that improving communication and understanding between building owners and local authorities is crucial to streamlining the consent process.

Responding to the report, Planning Minister Jeff Rooker said:

"I welcome the publication of this report. Listed buildings are a crucial part of our built environment, adding character to towns and cities across the country. We must ensure that their benefit is felt by future generations and, for that reason, their management and upkeep is extremely important. I look forward to reading this report and studying its conclusions".

There are some 450,000 listed buildings in England. The vast majority is in private ownership, and many of these are in commercial use. Listing does not prevent change, but it does mean that owners of listed buildings may need listed building consent if they wish to undertake work to their buildings. Having to apply for consent can be seen as an irritating source of delay or uncertainty, particularly by commercial owners or tenants, and therefore a potential barrier to competitiveness.

English Heritage was asked by Government if the operation of listed building consent could be streamlined by, for example, providing agreed schedules of work that owners could undertake without having to seek consent. The research project therefore looked at the practicability of using pre-agreed schedules of consent, alongside investigating the wider use of management guidelines.

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