Listed Buildings - A guide from Wycombe District Council.

We often get asked to work on listed buildings & there is often confusion as to what works require specific approval from the Council either in the form of a Planning Application or Listed Building Consent.  Her is some advise put together from Wycombe District Council.

Listed Building Consent (LBC) is required for works that affect the appearance or character of a building of special architectural or historic interest.

1.    The Principal Building (ie the one in the list description and marked on the GIS maps) 

·         The following works always require listed building consent: 

·         Extensions 

·         Total or partial demolition of the listed building 

·         External alterations, such as replacement of windows by ones of different designs or materials, replacement of cast-iron gutters and downpipes by UPVC, replacing tiles by concrete slates, etc, etc. 

·         Most internal alterations 

(Removal of modern partitions, modern fireplaces, modern staircases do not normally require consent as they do not affect the special interest of the listed building) 

·         Installation of burglar alarm external boxes, external security lights, satellite dishes, meter boxes, video cameras, floodlighting and flues normally require consent 

2.    The following works to a Principal Building do not require listed building consent: 

·         Re-wiring 

·         Re-plumbing 

·         Repair and refurbishment work 

·         Re-fitting kitchens and bathrooms 

·         Installing central heating  (except for balanced flues and external flues which do) 

·         Re-decoration, inside and out (except when it involves painting unpainted brickwork, etc, or rendering un-rendered surfaces) (There are circumstances where a painting scheme changes character or is inappropriate or bizarre where LBC is needed) 

3.    For the purposes of LBC all buildings and walls physically attached to the Principal Building shall be treated as part of that building. 

4.    Curtilage Buildings & Boundary Walls 

·         Curtilage buildings are to be treated as if they are part of the listed building. Thus listed building consent is to be required for demolition, extension and alteration.  (It is unlikely that as much internal work will require LBC as for Principal Buildings because curtilage buildings are not listed in their own right and therefore by definition have less special character) 

·         Boundary walls need to be treated similarly 

5.    Demolition of Boundary Walls, etc 

·         The key here is determining whether the work proposed is really demolition or in fact repair by substantial rebuilding.  

·         The question to ask in all circumstances is whether the wall is being permanently removed, ie there will no longer be a wall in that location or it is being reduced in height substantially. If the wall is being replaced like for like then it can be treated as repair and no application is required. 

·         The key is PERMANENT removal, not temporary for repair/rebuilding. 

6.    Demolition in a Conservation Area 

·         Nowadays much demolition is no longer controlled by the need for Conservation Area Consent (CAC). 

·         Substantial demolition has to be proposed to trigger CAC, ie over half of a principal elevation of the unlisted building. 

·         Chimneys, bay windows, attached outbuildings and other minor curtilage buildings are no longer protected.  

·         If in doubt ask the Conservation Officer. 

7.    Local List Buildings 

·         There are no formal controls on these buildings 

·         Demolition is only controlled when a local list building is within a conservation area 

·         Alteration to local list buildings is not controlled, except by imposing design requirements on a planning permission.