Information on Heritage or Listed Assets
Does living in an old building automatically mean it’s a heritage asset? Not necessarily! There are many factors that constitute a building as heritage. Have a read of this article to understand what to do with your asset if it’s a heritage building.
What is a heritage building?
Simply put, a heritage building is a building or plot of land that is important because of it’s architectural or historical properties and requires special attention when it comes to altering it. If you want to be more technical though, The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) say that a heritage asset is a “building, monument, site, place, area or landscape identified as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, because of its heritage interest”. There are a lot of different factors that can cause a building to become a heritage asset such as age and rarity or aesthetic value along with other elements.
What are the different Grades?
Grade 1
A Grade 1 building is a site of unprecedented national, architectural or historical importance. Grade 1 sites are hard to find. To gain the title of being Grade 1 a building would need to be highly significant in comparison to a Grade 2 site. Some examples are the Houses of Parliament or Buckingham Palace.
Grade 2*
Grade 2* buildings are really important buildings that are of higher importance then a Grade 2 building. This is usually because of their outstanding exterior finish or that it is on a national level.
Grade 2
A Grade 2 building is a site that has particular architectural interest and the history behind it also may warrant the building being placed as Grade 2. The vast majority of listed assets fall into this category.
Misconceptions:
A heritage building will always be listed as one.
Even though it is very hard and rarely happens, it is possible to get it de-listed.
A building that is listed as a heritage building can never have any work done on it.
General or minor repairs can be done. However, anything bigger could risk it being an adjustment to character so to be on the safe side you should contact your Local Planning Authority.
A conservation area is the same as a heritage site.
This is a common misconception but a conservation area is a plot of land that is protected because of its historical ties to that community or neighbourhood. This means developing and building on it is harder as it has special planning laws implemented. Whereas a listed or heritage building is protected externally and internally.
Why is it important?
You may ask “Why is some old building so precious? It’s decaying!” Well, heritage buildings are important as they celebrate the history and preserve the intrinsic past of a particular area. Recognising this is very important especially if you try to alter these buildings without planning permission. Beware, you could face criminal charges!
How to get Planning Permission
It is hard but not impossible! So don’t panic, heritage assets are not intended to be preserved in their original state forever. Making alterations to listed buildings requires special sensitive planning within quite strict guidelines. It is worth talking to your local council before an application is made to work out the boundaries that your project will need to fall into. If you have a desire to extend your listed building, remove a tree, or fix your dilapidated garage roof you will need a special consent to remove, alter or repair. It is important to have a design that is sympathetic to your listed building. The exterior materials usually aim to match the existing or are cleverly chosen to contrast in a modern design. The overall aim is to make the new design add value but not dominate the listed building. If you’re considering what to do next with your heritage asset feel free to get in contact with any of our team who have an abundance of knowledge about this and many other planning issues.