Caring For Your Listed Building
Introduction - owning a listed or historic
building comes with a great deal of responsibility, caring for
such a property can be a fairly arduous task and you may find yourself
facing endless bureaucracy when dealing with any planning application
even for something as simple as a conservatory.
Listed building
consent must be obtained before you carry out any alterations and
their is always the chance that the local council will object to any
planning application you make.
As the owner of a listed building (or perhaps you
are thinking of buying one), you will be taking on the responsibility
of looking after part of the nations heritage. Of course their is no
statutory duty to improve the property, but you will not be allowed to
permit the building to fall below the condition it was in when it came
in to your possession. To this end, a photographic record of your
building, when it came in to your possession is essential, video
footage on a small camcorder ( with the date stamp switched on) would
be even better.
A good way to start to care for your building is to find out as much
of its history as possible, neighbours or the local library may
prove helpful (especially if you can find an old local history book
with photographs). The local council should be able to give you some
information, especially if you approach them in the correct manner.
See if you can find out how your building has changed over the course
of its life, also have their been any changes to the location. Try
comparing your building to other similar ones in the area, how do they
differ, can you spot any structural deformation in your property.
These type of properties need love and attention and regular
inspection and maintenance checks are essential if costly bills are to
be avoided. To
historic or listed buildings, water
is the biggest enemy. You must make sure that the whole building is
watertight as this will help to prevent damage to fragile timber roof
structures. Make sure that your gutters and down pipes are correctly
aligned and always free from leaves. This can almost be a daily task
during certain months of the year. Leaky waste water pipes can easily
cause damage to weather boarding or timber frames or worse can loosen
masonry and mortar which can have serious consequences in historic or
listed buildings. If you property has earth based walls, cob or
wattle & daub, water can be an even
bigger problem and penetration can cause substantial damage to the
fabric of the building. Trailing ivy can look pretty but it can help
keep walls damp and disguise problems which if left unattended can
cause severe damage. Try getting in to the habit of giving your
building a weekly inspection, keep a log and write down all works that
need to be done
Poor construction also leads to building failure and decay however,
poor construction is not a term that should be used lightly to
describe buildings that have often stood for in excess of 400 years.
they may have been built with dubious techniques by today's standards
buy anything that has stood the test of time over many centuries,
certainly deserves respect. More likely is that years of neglect have
lead to a gradual degradation of the property and its mainly poor
upkeep by previous owners that can be blamed for poor building
conditions. Trees and plants have often been left to grow out of
brickwork, and of course these will in time loosen walls, some older
style historic buildings may now be suffering from the build up of
acid rain dissolving brickwork and roofs.
Any damage to your home will having to be undertaken in a sensitive
fashion using the appropriate materials and applicable techniques.
Features should be repaired rather than replaced to help preserve as
much of the original structure as possible. Any repair work should
only be undertaken after expert opinion has been sought.
Keeping your building in tip top condition will certainly cost your
more than you would expect to pay for almost any other sort of
building and your home will receive more attention from the local
authority as it appears on this list of structures that need to be
preserved. If you neglect your responsibility to maintain your
building, you could find yourself on the receiving end of a repairs
notice served on you by the local council.
This is not a matter to treat lightly, if you continue to fail to meet
their demands, you could find that they apply to the secretary of
state to have your property repossessed. If the building is unoccupied
and in need of urgent work, you may find that the council carry out
the work and of course, they will then come to you for reimbursement
of their expenses.
Many owners are confused as to what is termed essential maintenance to
a property or what type of work will actually require listed building
consent. In simple terms listed building consent is required for any
work that will effect is value for listing purposes. This will almost
definitely be the case for any major works and may be required for
minor work or maintenance or repair. Simple work such as re-pointing
and even repainting my require permission whilst identical repair work
using matching materials may not.
There does not seem to be any definitive answer so we suggest that to
be on the safe side, you always consult with your
local authority before you undertake
any work. It is doubtful if the local council could stop you effecting
temporary emergency repairs to the property especially if it means the
repairs are only carried out to prevent further damage to the
structure. Changes of use of the building should also be broached with
the council prior to activation.
You may find that you have to submit a listed building application
where your plans may affect the setting of the building. Applications
to the local council are fairly similar to normal planning
applications and they will be able to supply you with the appropriate
form if you give then a call. Usually no fee is involved but you will
have to supply supporting documentation such as a site plan, a full
description of the works and your views on how they would effect the
listing along with a set of drawings showing the before and after
position including elevations. Of course for any major works, you will
be expected to furnish plans from an architect.
Your application will be considered in the normal way by the planning
committee and you will have the normal rights of appeal.
if you are forced to go to appeal, you have three months in which to
submit all requested documentation. If you want more information of
listed building planning consent, you can obtain a guide called
Planning policy Guidance Note 15 ( PPG.15)-
Planning and the Historic Environment. This useful guide should help
you understand the nature of the Planning ( listed Buildings and
conservation areas) Act 1990. This document can be found in any public
libraries and you can obtain your own copy from HMSO Bookshop.
Not all important buildings are listed, some are located in
conservation areas, these are areas that are designated of special
historical interest and character and certainly if your building is
located within one, you may need permissions to carry out any
maintenance or alterations. These areas are not required to be
mentioned on statutory lists but by setting them up, local councils
gain a measure of control of what actually happens in these areas and
any proposal you make will be considered taking in to consideration
the location and area of the property.
