24 THE BUILDING CONSERVATION DIRECTORY 2025 CATHEDRAL COMMUNICATIONS LISTED BUILDINGS PROTECTION JONATHAN TAYLOR LISTS OF buildings of ‘special architectural or historic interest’ are maintained by each of the four home nations. As well as houses, the list includes a wide range of built structures, from bridges and barns to churchyard memorials. These ‘listed buildings’ are graded according to their significance, with grades I and category A being the highest, but all listed buildings are equally protected by the need for consent, whatever the grade/category, inside and out. It is a criminal offence to materially alter, extend or demolish one without listed building consent (LBC). This protection extends to all parts of the building, any components fixed to it, and any ancillary structures within its curtilage that were constructed before the mid- or late-20th century (the cut-off date varies across the nations). Applications for listed building consent are made to the local planning authority who will then consult the national statutory body on all applications involving demolition. Where alterations are proposed, Historic England and Cadw are also consulted on proposals to alter Grades I and II* listed buildings in England and Wales, and Historic Environment Scotland is consulted on categories A and B. In Northern Ireland the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities is consulted on all applications affecting listed buildings. Buildings of a lower grade or category than those in the table above have no statutory protection. However, local planning policy may include measures to protect ‘locally listed’ buildings and other ‘non-designated heritage assets’ through planning permission. Each of the UK’s four nations operates slightly different planning and heritage protection systems, but the fundamentals are the same, applying protection for historic buildings through primary legislation supplemented by government policy and guidance, as shown in the table below. Local government heritage protection policies which have been through public consultation will also apply, providing specific guidance tailored to suit, for example, the character and significance of a local area. The primary legislation enables buildings to be listed, makes it a criminal offence to alter one without LBC, and gives the criteria for granting LBC. So, all four acts state that LBC is required for ‘works for the demolition of a listed building or for its alteration or extension in any manner which would affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest’. The criterion for assessing the proposal is ‘the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses’. APPLYING FOR LISTED BUILDING CONSENT Like a planning application, an application for listed building consent would be required to include appropriately scaled drawings and photos showing the existing building and comparable drawings showing the proposals. In addition, the local planning authority may require statements outlining: • why the building or component affected is significant in heritage terms • how that significance will be affected by the proposal, and • how any harm caused to the significance of the building or component can be justified. This information is usually presented in a heritage statement. For a minor alteration this can be a relatively simple document, but it becomes more complicated where harm cannot be avoided. For example, where adaptation for a new use is necessary to ensure the long term viability of a building, ways can usually be found that achieve the result required with little or no damage to the significance of the building. Here, proposals need to demonstrate that the significance of the building and the components affected have been assessed and understood, and how the proposals avoid or minimise harm to its significance. As the Department for the Environment Northern Ireland puts it, ‘proposals should be based on a clear understanding of the LISTED BUILDING GRADES / CATEGORIES (and proportions in each) STATUTORY AUTHORITY England Grade I (2.5%) Grade II* (5.5%) Grade II (92%) Historic England Wales 30,000 Grade I (2%)w Grade II* (7%) Grade II (91%) Cadw Scotland 48,000 Category A (8%) Category B (50%) Category C (42%) Historic Environment Scotland Northern Ireland Grade A (2.5%) Grade B+ (6.5%) Grade B1/B2 (91%) Department for Communities, Historic Environment Division PRIMARY LEGISLATION GOVERNMENT POLICY AND GUIDANCE England Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 The National Planning Policy Framework Wales Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2023 Planning Policy Wales, Technical Advice Note 24: The Historic Environment and associated best practice guidance, Managing Change to Listed Buildings in Wales Scotland Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 Historic Environment Policy for Scotland and the guidance notes in the Managing Change in the Historic Environment series Northern Ireland The Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 The Planning (General Development Procedure) Order (Northern Ireland) 2015 The Planning (Listed Buildings) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 Planning Policy Statement 6 (PPS6): Planning, Archaeology and the Built Heritage Criteria for the Scheduling of Historic Monuments and the Listing of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, with associated procedures Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS) 2015
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