Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2010 | Page 22

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Island Life - October/November 2010

Country Property
WOODLAND - FARMLAND - EQUESTRIAN

Listed Buildings or
Listing Buildings?
There are many Listed Buildings on the
Island, particularly at the top end of
the market. Many owners have lived
happily in listed properties for many
years and have experienced relatively
few difficulties or issues, however, some
buyers are very wary of purchasing
listed property and taking on the
associated responsibilities that this
entails.
Listing is intended to celebrate a
building’s special architectural and
historic interest and to bring it under
the consideration of the planning
system so that some thought will be
taken about its future. The older a
building is, the more likely it is to be
listed.
All buildings built before 1700 which
survive in anything like their original
condition are intended to be listed.
Post -1945 buildings have to be
exceptionally important to be listed. Of
all the listed buildings in the UK 31%
are 18th Century but less than 4% date
from after 1900.
There are 3 categories: (Grade
I; Grade II* and Grade II). Grade I
buildings (only 2.5%) are of exceptional
interest, sometimes considered to be
internationally important. An example
would be Osborne House. Grade
II* buildings (5.5%) are particularly
important buildings of more than
special interest an example would
be the Guildhall in Newport; Grade
II buildings which comprise the vast
majority (92%) are nationally important
and of special interest; it is the most
likely grade of listing for a home owner
most listed period farmhouses and
cottages on the Island fall into this

Sam Biles MRICS FAAV

category.
Contrary to popular belief, Listing is
not a preservation order, preventing
any change; it notes a building’s
importance, before any planning stage
which may decide a building's future.
It therefore does not freeze a building
in time, it simply means that Listed
Building Consent (LBC) must be applied
for in order to make any changes to
that building which might affect its
special interest.
Surprising as it may be, Listed
buildings can be altered, extended and
sometimes even demolished within
government planning guidance. The
local authority uses LBCs to make
decisions which should balance the
site's historic significance against other
issues such as its function, condition or
viability.
Extensions can be built if designed
sympathetically and with an eye to the
history of the original building. When
a property is sold the buyer’s solicitors
will be very keen to seek assurances
that all works done have been done
with full LBC, a sale can falter on
this point as it takes time for any
retrospective consents to be sought and
unlike normal planning consents the
need does not expire if the alteration is
many years old.
You can find out if a building is
listed by contacting the Local Planning
Authority though details of many
are available on the English Heritage
website and some have photographs
on the Images of England section. If
you wish to alter, extend or demolish
a listed building in a way that affects
its character as a building of special

interest, you must first obtain LBC.
Each building is different and so there
are no sweeping rules for what you
can or can't do without consent. Most
buildings are very flexible but consent
is needed for anything that might
risk detracting from what makes that
building special, even re-thatching can
require LBC though patch repairs may
not. Works requiring consent might
include the replacement of windows or
doors, knocking down internal walls,
painting over brickwork or altering
fireplaces.
Listed status covers a whole building,
inside and out and the nebulous word
curtilage is often used – this can mean
the plot, the garden, the farmyard or
the grounds and is often indistinct. Take
note even more modern alterations
to an old house can be included in
the listing – ie 1930’s metal ‘Crittal’
windows may be listed in a Regency
House.
Common. It is always advisable to take
the advice of the Conservation Officer
at your local authority. On the positive
side Grants may be available for repairs
to highly listed buildings and alterations
to some can also qualify for reduced
VAT, however there are potential
penalties should works be carried out
without LBC including making good any
works carried out without LBC.
In short whilst you should not be
unduly worried about a Listing, it does
carry obligations and is ignored at your
peril!

www.creasey-biles-king.co.uk
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