Listed Building Basics
Listing is a national scheme to help retain the quality of buildings of exceptional character and/or beauty.
What does a listing cover?
A listing covers the whole of the building and its curtilage. This is true regardless of what is or is not recorded. All parts and details of the building are covered by listing.
Listing means you can not alter the building without prior LBC, Listed Building Consent. You may replace like for like when necessary, but this is usually interpreted strictly, so if you remove straw and lime with oak dado you will not be able to replace it with reed and lime with pine dado.
If in any doubt it is best to consult your CO before work. People can be surprised by how much needs consent, for example you are also not free to paint the exterior any colour you like without consent.
Glossary
LBC Listed building consent
CO Conservation officer
Grades
There are grades of listing, 1, 2, 2*.
Legal
Altering a listed building without permission is a criminal offence.
Purchasing
If a listed building you purchase has been altered without LBC, you the new owner become liable. It is threfore wise to check whether any alterations have been carried out.
Listing sometimes covers features in but not fitted to the building. Purchasing a building with such features missing can land you in legal hot water. Consequently, disposing of such features without LBC can leave you with a building extremely difficult to sell.
Some purchasers may buy with an eye to changing an inconvenient feature of a building. In most such cases LBC is not granted. When you buy, you will have to live with what you've bought, so if an aspect of a building is a problem you need to consider that fully before purchase.
Works
The need for LBC delays works, and the degree of precision and authenticity required in works, plus the fact that convenience and cost of works are low priorities from the CO's point of view, mean that works on listed buildings generally take more time and more expense than work on ticky tacky houses.
Listing brings some exemptions from Building Regulations, some of which are debated and argued over between CO and . When they won't agree, you have a problem that can take time to resolve before you can begin work.
Rules of thumb
None of these are true in all cases, but they do apply a high percentage of the time, so are worth stating for the sake of novices to listed buildings.
- Cement mortar and renders are inappropriate for a wide range of historic buildings.[1] Lime mortars and renders are suitable for most historic building types.
- Damp treatments are generally not appropriate or permitted
- Beware of people and companies claiming specialist expertise, too often they lack the relevant skill.