Listed Buildings
What works need Listed Building Consent?
Listed Building Consent is needed before carrying out any works that will affect the historic or architectural character of a Listed building. The following are examples:
- Demolition of any part of the historic fabric of the building - Including all or part of any internal walls, staircases and external chimney stacks.
- Extensions including conservatories - Always require consent.
- Alterations to windows and doors - Changing openings, materials or design (this will include altering timber sections or mouldings), removing an historic window or door and replacing with a new one whatever the design.
- Changing roofing and walling materials - Including major changes of roofing materials, eg, tiles to slates but also replacing old tiles with new ones or changing thatching materials - long straw to water reed. Similar major changes to walling materials would need Consent, as would, for example, exposing timber framing, altering any infill panelling to a frame, changing rendering materials or painting facing brickwork.
- Altering the form or structure of a roof - Including adding new dormers or rooflights.
- Changing internal layout - Adding new partitions or openings and blocking up existing openings.
- Removing and replacing historic fittings - Such as historic fitted cupboards, fireplace surrounds or window shutters.
- Adding external advertising signs - This may also need Advertisement Consent.
- Telecommunications and service equipment - Including satellite dishes, burglar alarms, boiler flues and external meter boxes.
- Restoring original features or finishes that have since been lost.
Consent may also be required for some other works if they affect the character of the building, for example:-
- Repainting in a different colour.
- Introducing modern services such as electrical wiring or plumbing pipework cutting through the historic fabric.
- Cleaning brickwork other than just water washing.
- Carrying out major repairs so that substantial parts of a building's historic fabric have to be replaced. Deciding what is a major or minor repair can be difficult. Small-scale like-for-like repairs do not normally need Consent. However, as most buildings are Listed because their fabric is historic, repairs that entail the replacing or rebuilding of large sections of the original fabric may need Consent; for example needing to replace rotten plates, posts and studs in a timber framed building. It is usual a matter of degree.
NB: These are general guidelines. Each Listed Building has a different character so each case needs to be considered on its own merits. If in doubt ask for advice on this.
Listed Building Consent is not needed for detached new buildings or for new walls, gates or fences within the curtilage of a Listed building. Curtilage is a legal term referring to, for example, the garden attached to a private house or the working farmyard attached to a farmhouse.
However, Planning Permission is needed in such situations:
- for the erection, alterations or improvement of buildings larger than 10 cu m
- to alter any gates, walls or fences or for the erection of new ones.
English Heritage 
provides more information on listed buildings.
