What you can and cannot do to a Grade II Listed Building
We often get asked by owners of Grade II Listed Buildings, ‘what are we allowed to do before Listed Building Consent is required’? Our team members with experience working on Listed Buildings are happy to share their knowledge …
Types of Listed Buildings
Long-time owners of Listed Buildings tend to know the drill, so to speak, but anyone contemplating ownership of a Listed Building generally has a few questions before they make an offer. Grade II and Grade II* listed buildings are not uncommon in the UK, the latest figures from Historic England says that there are around 400,000 listed buildings in total, of which 90% are Grade II listed. There are two types of Grade II listed, Grade II and Grade II*. Grade II* are of particular interest, with important features that are of special interest. Grade II designated are of special interest and warrant every effort to preserve the building and it’s features.
Experience & Knowledge
Consent and Planning Permission is a complex area, which is why it’s important to get an experienced Chartered Architect on board from the beginning of a project. Our team have worked with Listed and Historic buildings and have vast depths of knowledge – as well as access to the accumulated design and architectural experiences of our founding partners to work with. The Listed Building Consent and Planning requirements do change over time, and our team members stay up to date with the current legislation and changes to rules. There’s an interesting and informative overview from Historic England here.
The Basics
Everyday care and maintenance can be carried out on a Listed property, such as cleaning, re-painting, repairs and so on. There may be restrictions or requirements for the types of materials used, and the usual recommendation is to use the same product that was originally used – such as render, stucco, limewash or traditional paint formulations. Older listed properties need to be able to ‘breathe’ and whilst we as architects and our clients are concerned with keeping a building warm, comfortable and habitable, there are ways of achieving that goal without damaging the fabric of the building. There are also requirements for the style and materials used for external items such as rainwater goods, down pipes, gutters and so on.
Interior Ideas
With many Listed buildings, there are specific interior features that have contributed to the house being awarded Listed status. It may be the traditional construction, or particular features such as chimney pieces, specific floors, or wall features such as cornicing, panelling, mouldings and plasterwork. These features need to be retained and treasured, and if repairs are needed, they should be carried out by experienced craftspeople using the ‘proper’ materials. Some decorative and ornamental features may be beyond repair – but Listed Building Consent will be need to remove those features. It’s not unusual for a transparent glass panel to be installed in the interior of a Listed Building to show what’s beneath the top surface – so owners and visitors can see the original lathe and plaster construction, for example.
Exterior Features
A Grade II listed house or building may be painted a particular colour, which is historically ‘correct’ or which is the same as adjoining or nearby houses that are also Listed. Whilst variations in shades of white or ivory, for example, may not attract the attention of Planning Officials, painting the house a startling shade of green or pink, will likely cause issues with Planners and neighbours. When the JLE Studio team is designing and putting together a schedule of works for the exterior of a Listed property, the colour will be taken into account, as well as the paint or materials used. Homes in Conservation Areas, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a National Park or the Norfolk Broads will need Planning Approval before changing the exterior of the house, such as adding cladding or pebble dash. More info is available here on the Government’s Planning Portal.
Have a project in mind?
