What can I do with a listed building?
My building is listed, what does it mean for me?
Owners or tenants are often proud if their home is considered to be nationally important. It is amongst a very small percentage of buildings in England with special historic or architectural interest. It may well be part of what gives your local area its special character. Often listed status may increase the value of a house, grants may be available for highly listed buildings and alterations to some can also qualify for reduced VAT. Further information on VAT is available from HM Revenue and Customs.
If you wish to demolish a listed building, or alter or extend it in a way that affects its character as a building of special interest, you must first apply for listed building consent from your local planning authority.
Can you give examples of what I can or can’t do?
Each building is different and so there are no sweeping rules for what you can or can’t do without consent. Most buildings are very flexible but consent is needed for anything that might risk taking away what makes that building special. Listed status covers a whole building, inside and out. Common works requiring consent might include the replacement of windows or doors, knocking down internal walls, painting over brickwork or altering fireplaces.
It is always advisable to take the advice of the conservation officer at your local authority to get a better idea about what it means for you.
How do I apply for Listed Building Consent?
First talk to your local conservation officer to check that you do need to apply, get an outline of what might be acceptable and find out whether your ideas need to be shaped to make them more likely to succeed. This simple act could save you a lot of time and money.
The consent form is available from your local authority. As detailed drawings will need to be provided with the form, it is often easier to get a chartered surveyor or architect to draw up the plans and submit them for you. They are even more likely to be successful if they have previous experience of working with listed buildings. A Charter For English Heritage gives advice on what to provide with an application for consent. See also Streamlining Listed Building Consent, a research report looking at how the Listing consent regime can be streamlined.
How long will it take?
Local Authorities usually return a decision within six to eight weeks. During that time, if the application involves a grade II*or grade I building, demolition or is particularly complicated, the case will be forwarded to English Heritage for expert advice. We return our advice to the local authority within 21 days or to an agreed timetable.
What happens if you don’t get permission?
If consent is refused you have six months in which you can appeal. Or you can alter your plans, based on the written advice provided, and re-apply. Applying for listed building consent is free, unlike other planning controls.
What happens if I make alterations without consent?
Listed building consent aims to prevent people from unknowingly de-valuing their home and taking away the features that make it important.
Carrying out unauthorised works to a listed building is a criminal offence and owners can be prosecuted. Before that stage is reached, a planning authority can insist that all work undertaken without consent is reversed.
Listed building consent can be applied for retrospectively but runs a risk of being rejected for reasons that could have been easily resolved at an early stage. An owner will have trouble selling a house which has not been granted listed building consent for work undertaken.
What information or help is available?
Your local authority is the best place to start getting information but English Heritage staff in any of our regional offices can also give advice. Information leaflets are available from English Heritage Customer Services (See Contact Us) and the Department of Culture Media and Sport. Some architects are accredited in Historic Building Conservation and if you are considering major work it is advisable for it to be properly supervised. A list of accredited architects is available from the Royal Institution of British Architects (RIBA).
Can you get grants to restore listed buildings?
In exceptional cases, you can get grants from English Heritage for structural repairs to listed buildings. English Heritage grants are usually only available for buildings of grade I or II*, but all applications are considered on their individual merits. Local authorities also have powers to give grants to owners of listed buildings.
There are also a number of charitable trusts that make grants towards the preservation and upkeep of historic buildings. Details can be found in the Directory of Grant Making Trusts published by the Charities Aid Foundation.
The National Heritage Memorial Fund has powers to provide financial assistance towards the repair and maintenance of buildings of importance to the national heritage. These grants can be applied for the through the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Who can tell me more about my listed home?
Many special interest groups can provide specific information about buildings of particular eras. You may wish to contact:
The Georgian Group
6, Fitzroy Square,
London
W1P 6DX
The Victorian Society
1 Priory Gardens,
Bedford Park
London
W4 1TT
The Twentieth Century Society
77, Cowcross St,
London
EC1M 6EJ
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
37 Spital Square
London
E1 6DY
