Listed Building Advice

What is meant by Listed Building Advice?

For those who own, manage, or are planning to purchase a Listed Building there can be a confusing range of questions regarding what is, and what is not, appropriate development for the property. When such questions arise, it pays to take early Listed Building Advice from a Heritage Consultant, like AB Heritage before submitting your plans to the Local Planning Authority (LPA) or a National Heritage Agency. This allows your heritage consultant to identify likely heritage significance, and to help make outline proposals to avoid or minimise impacts at the masterplan or design stage, reducing the need for costly redraws later in the project.

What does Listed Building Advice include?

Whether it is a high-level, early query on some changes you are considering to a single listed building, or right through to a suite of advanced heritage planning proposals for redevelopment, discussing your plans at the outset can help you better plan and manage a programme of development, along with the associated budget and timetable for proposed works.

AB Heritage can respond to simple queries ranging from ‘do I need Listed Building Consent to remove a partition wall in my Grade II Listed cottage’, right through to becoming part of the project team, researching the history and significance of a building or area and negotiating with the LPA or National Heritage Agency on our client’s behalf. 

When is Listed Building Advice needed?

Some form of advice will be needed when dealing with a Listed Building development , as the National Planning Policy Framework requires the LPA to request descriptions on the significance of any heritage assets or its setting affected by a proposal, so early engagement and planning always adds benefits when considering changes to Listed Buildings.  

On many occasion the advice may simply be confirmation that an outline approach to the LPA is the correct next step, reducing our clients concerns about whether they are following the right path. At other times the client may have been requested to engage with a heritage consultant as part of a planning application for proposed works, possibly as part of wider Listed Building Consent works or to procure a Heritage Statement.  

While the provision of heritage advice from AB Heritage is most common in relation to Listed Buildings, AB Heritage are approached for a wide array of questions about the Historic Environment, and also understand the complexities of working on sites that contain (or are near to) non-designated heritage assets, Conservation Areas, Historic Parks & Gardens, Scheduled Monuments, World Heritage Sites and all other forms of historic features.

Read our quick guide to  the Listed Building Consent Process