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Building Consent Advice Listed Building Consent Before applying for LBC your first step should be to contact your local council before you make the application. The conservation officer will tell you whether your proposals are likely to be accepted. This could save you time and money. You will need to get listed building consent if you want to demolish a listed building or any part of it, or alter it in any way which would affect its character, inside or out. Repairs which match exactly may not need consent, but your local council will advise you on this as the effect of any repairs is not always straightforward. 
Examples of work which may need consent include changing windows and doors, painting over brickwork or removing external surfaces, putting in dormer windows or roof-lights, putting up aerials, satellite dishes and burglar alarms, changing roofing materials, moving or removing internal walls, making new doorways, and removing or altering fireplaces, panelling or staircases.
Local authorities deal with all listed building consent cases and will give you the appropriate form for making your application. The majority of cases are dealt with by the local authority, but the most important cases are referred to English Heritage (Notifications) and sometimes to the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Referrals).
Applications for Listed Building Consent are made in a similar fashion to normal planning applications on a form that can be obtained from your local planning department. If you need planning permission for your intended proposal then the two applications can be submitted together. There is no fee for the Listed Building Consent application.
The form will set out the information required which will normally include:-
A site plan to 1/1250 or 1/2500 scale showing the property.
A description of the works and the effect (if any) you think they may have on the Listing or the setting of the building.
A set of scale drawings showing the present and proposed situation, including building elevations, internal floor plans and other details as necessary. For major works you may need to involve a professional with experience of works to Listed Buildings. 
It will usually take at least eight weeks after you send in your application form for a decision to be sent to you. If consent is refused you have six months in which you can appeal to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.
Buildings which are listed or which lie within a conservation area are protected by law. This does not mean that you can never alter or demolish one, but carrying out relevant work without the appropriate consent is a criminal offence. Unfortunately many building contractors and even some architects who do not specialise in historic building work are unaware of the alterations which require consent, leaving them and their clients liable to criminal prosecution. Planning permission
Planning permission is required for large structural alterations or additions to existing buildings, and the erection of new buildings. Planning permission is not required for all types of works, as some works are classed as ‘permitted development’. Your council planning officer will be able to advise you as to which controls your work will be subject to. Party Wall Agreements
Party Wall consent is required for any building works that affect the structure of walls that adjoin a terraced property. You are required to seek consent to the building works from your neighbour through a Party Wall surveyor, an independent professional who will draw up a condition report detailing the structure before and after the works, and agree any necessary precautions to be taken during the building works. Building Regulations Building regulations set out in detail the specifications that any building work must adhere to. They apply in principal to all works, and most works involving any structural alteration or addition will require a completion certificate. The purpose of these regulations is to ensure quality and safety of building work, which can sometimes require aspects of the building to be updated to meet today’s legal requirements for fire and sound proofing, insulation and electrical circuitry. Building Control inspectors will visit at intervals to ensure these specifications are being met, and will issue a certificate on completion of the work.
It is our policy that we will not carry out any work that does not satisfy current building regulations. Work will only be carried out by suitably trained & qualified trade professionals. |
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