Case Studies:
Listed Building Ownership

Custodianship of a Listed Building
Posted on by HPR

Custodian

Becoming a Custodian of a Listed Building carries responsibility. You do not own a Listed Property to do with as you wish, you are a custodian to preserve and maintain our cultural heritage for future generations. These buildings are considered to be of national importance and are legally protected.

Conservation Officers

The property could potentially be repaired or change its function or be altered or extended to meet your needs without compromising the character. A balanced consent from the Local Authority must be achieved to preserve aspects of special architectural or historic interest. A Conservation Officer would grant these permissions accordingly for suitable traditional works to be allowed in-keeping with how the building was initially constructed.

Listed Buildings

In England we have 3 categories of Listing or ‘significance’ – these differ to the fundamental way they are built as opposed to modern construction techniques.

At the time of writing there are approximately 379,444 Listed Buildings which include Churches. Some listings can however cover a number of items such as a row of terraced houses. The number could therefore be around 500,000:

  • Grade I (One) Listed is the highest significance, designated to buildings of exceptional interest. These account for circa 2.5% of Listed Buildings.
  • Grade II* (Two Star) Listed are particularly important buildings of more than special interest. These account for circa 5.8% of Listed Buildings.
  • Grade II (Two) Listed Buildings are of special interest. These account for the remaining 91.7% and most likely to be a home buyers property.

Historic England

Historic England provides general advice and guidance documents for owners of Listed Buildings. Although there are other sources of information or memberships, a Listed Property Owner can begin to find information via the Historic England website: https://historicengland.org.uk/

Historic England is a public body that protects our heritage. Until 2015 they were commonly known as English Heritage.

A guide for owners of Listed Buildings can be found as a free download here: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/guide-for-owners-of-listed-buildings/

Communication

There are common misconceptions about Listed Buildings that we regularly encounter. Here are a few items to address:

  • Listing covers a whole building. This includes the interior, but can also cover attached structures and the curtilage (surrounding boundary land).
  • You should ensure that a surveyor that undertakes a home buyers survey for you has experience in Heritage Listed Buildings. Some of our clients have been provided insufficient advice as a result of not selecting a suitable professional at this stage.
  • Unfortunately, Estate Agents and Solicitors are not always aware of Listed property requirements, which is why an experienced and competent surveyor is important to represent your interests.
  • The same experience requirement applies to selecting an Architect or Contractor if you desire any works to be undertaken. General builders are unlikely to have the experience to sympathetically address issues when opening up works on a Listed property. We are too commonly correcting others works in order to resolve issues which have been covered over. Clients are therefore having to pay out again to have the works undertaken to the higher standard.

Understanding

  • We love Heritage buildings, and our clients hold a passion to undertake sympathetic works to ensure the properties survival and longevity. As such, maintenance is essential to keep the building is good condition. This can avoid expensive repairs in the longer term.
  • Living in a heritage building may require you to adapt to your environment rather than the property being flexible enough to adapt for modern comforts. This may be to wear an extra layer of clothes or to ensure adequate ventilation by opening windows regularly.
  • Living in a Conservation Area is different to owning a Listed Building, however may restrictions may apply to the exterior of a property and the curtilage. Please contact your Local Authority for further information.