Heritage
Listed Building Consent Applications
If you own a listed building and are looking to alter, extend, or demolish it in a way that might affect its character as a building of significance or special interest, you must submit a listed building consent application to your local planning authority first.
What is a Listed Building Consent Application?
Listed building consent is the process in which planning authorities ensure that any changes to listed buildings won’t affect the building’s character as a building of significance. Any changes need to be appropriate and sympathetic to the building’s character to protect the unique resource.
Carrying out unauthorised alterations to any listed buildings is a criminal offence that could end in prosecution. The planning authority also has the power to demand that all works carried out without permission are reversed, so you should always discuss whether one is needed with the planning authority first.
What Does a Listed Building Consent Application Include?
The first step is to check if the building will need consent for what you’re planning to do. You can get this information from your local planning authority or speak to our consultants who can get this information for you. The planning authority should give you an outline of what might be acceptable and whether or not your plans fit into this.
To cover all of the listed building consent requirements, the application should include:
Design and Access Statement: An analysis of the key architectural and historic features of the building, allowing the planning authority to understand key design principles and how they take the historic context into account.
Heritage Impact Assessment: A detailed assessment of the proposed works, including materials and finishes, alongside which parts of the building could be affected. This should also provide details of the listed building’s grading, significance, and information regarding the applicant’s interest in the building (ownership, tenancy etc).
Site Plan and Location Plan: A breakdown of the site’s layout, where works will take place, how the setting will be accessed and the overall location of the works within the building’s setting.
Why Choose Fourth Wall?
The field of listed building consent can be confusing and often overly technical. At Fourth Wall, we want to simplify the technical aspects of listed building consent applications and reimagine the process entirely. Our surveyors hold the highest accreditations and want to bring the industry to life, providing vital information for those lucky enough to live, own or manage a Listed Property.
Book Your Listed Building Consent Application Consultation
Listed Buildings are not locked away in glass boxes, frozen in time, unfit for modern practices and building techniques. We find that working on the properties that are Listed provides a great opportunity to add to pre-existing historical or architectural significance found in every British village, town, and city.
Our aim is to replace the old ways of preserving listed buildings beyond all else with a more modern process. If you are buying, developing, or investing in a Listed Property in Yorkshire, Newcastle, Derby, Birmingham, or Greater Manchester and the surrounding area, get our RICS-accredited surveyors to offer you a full analysis of the building in question. Follow this link for additional information on approaching a Listed Building development, or get in touch to make sure you cover all of the listed building consent requirements.
Fill out the form below, or email our team to work with us on your Listed Building today.
Listed Building Survey FAQs
Browse some of the common questions that our team are asked when it comes to choosing the survey that’s right for you.
What Is a Listed Building?
A listed building is a building that has been deemed to be of architectural or historical interest, and has been listed to protect it for future generations. The age of a building is one of the defining factors when deciding which buildings are listed.
Generally, any building built before 1850 is likely to be listed, provided that they have remained anything like their original condition. Buildings built after this time require more careful selection and need to be of special significance to be considered of interest.
To find out information about the different grades of listed buildings, read our blog here.
What Can You Do to a Listed Building Without Consent?
While it’s a criminal offence to carry out any unauthorised alterations to a listed building, there are some works you can complete without consent. These depend on which grading your building has, with Grade I* being the most strict.
Minor repairs and maintenance do not require listed building consent from your local planning authority. For example, painting the kitchen or repairing a floor tile. Always check the listing to see what’s included first, as things like Victorian bathroom fittings could be listed if they’re deemed to be of significance.
With this in mind, it’s always better to be safe and contact your local planning authority if you’re unsure.
How Can I Find Out if My Property Is Listed?
To find out if your property is a listed building, visit the Listed Buildings Online database. The database provides all of the buildings in England, so you’ll be able to search for your property and find it on the list if it is listed.
It’s worth noting that your building may not be directly listed, but it might be curtilage listed instead. Curtilage listing is for when a building is in the setting of a listed building. It’s always worth checking with an expert if you’re unsure.
For more information on which survey you need to complete, read our which survey do I need blog.
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