Listed buildings are buildings which are officially recognised as being of special ‘architectural or historic interest’. They are so-called because they appear in ‘lists’ maintained by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (which is statutorily charged with compiling the lists). Listed buildings receive a greater measure of protection than others. Listing covers the entire building – outside, inside and its fixtures and fittings. Any demolition or alteration affecting its character must receive what is called ‘listed building consent’. It is an offence to demolish or alter a listed building without consent. Heavy fines can be imposed and orders made to reinstate structures demolished or removed. However, contrary to common belief the purpose of listing is not to fossilise buildings for all time; it’s to ensure that proposals affecting them receive careful and appropriate consideration before changes are made. Like all other buildings, continued, viable use is the best way to ensure preservation.
There are currently three categories in listing in England (the categories are under review):
Slightly different systems operate in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Applications to alter Grade II buildings are decided by local authorities. Those affecting higher grade buildings would also involve consultation with English Heritage, as do applications to demolish buildings of all grades.
In England, English Heritage is responsible for providing expert advice on which buildings meet the criteria for listing, and for administering the process (Historic Scotland do likewise for Scotland, Cadw for Wales, and the Environment and Heritage Service for Northern Ireland). Anyone can apply for an English building to be listed by completing an application form, which can be submitted by post or email to one of the four regional English Heritage offices. You can obtain an application form from the English Heritage website, which also has guidance notes for completing the form.
Before you make an application for listing, it’s a good idea to visit your local council Planning office, and talk to the Conservation Officer. He or she may be able to give you some further information about the building and its history; they will also be able to confirm whether or not the council has previously put the building forward for listing.
Within the supporting information required (see below), in view of the weight which English Heritage often places on the architectural quality of a building, details of its date and the architect’s name should ideally be included. These can be traced from:
The application should be supported by as much information as possible, including:
The more information that is supplied, the quicker a listing application can be dealt with. If, in your descriptions, you can use the correct architectural terms, this will add to the credibility of your submission. A glossary of such terms is at Appendix (i).
English Heritage will assess the building against the criteria published in Planning Policy Guidance 15 on Planning and the Historic Environment. Before a full assessment is made, the owner and local authority will be informed that listing is being considered (unless the building is considered to be under immediate threat), and asked for comments.
If there is any doubt about the significance of the building, English Heritage may undertake historical and documentary research, and make comparisons with other examples of the same building type. In most cases an inspection will be undertaken, although this is not always necessary. Where English Heritage consider that an inspection is desirable, the owner’s permission will usually be sought.
When the assessment is complete and any comments from the owner and local authority considered, the recommendation will be forwarded to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Before taking a decision the Secretary of State may seek advice from others who he/she considers have special knowledge or interest in historic buildings. After the Secretary of State has come to a decision, the owner, applicant and local authority will be notified, and sent a letter detailing the reasons for the decision.
Pubs in buildings of great age may be listed for this reason alone. Most, however, were built since the middle of the nineteenth century and a decision to list will depend on the quality and completeness of the building. A pub that has been drastically altered both inside and out will not normally be considered listable. A really good exterior alone may qualify but, increasingly, emphasis is being placed on the survival of interiors. Any interior that remains largely intact from before 1939 will make a pub worthy of consideration. Things to look for are the surviving plan form (e.g. multiple rooms) and old fittings (e.g. bar counter and back, fixed seating, screens, tiling and glazing). The more complete the better. It isn’t just the magnificent and expensive pub that makes the grade. The destruction of pub interiors has been so widespread over the past couple of decades that intact street corner locals and very plain but complete inter-war pubs are now serious candidates for listing.
Until recently, English Heritage had an almost universal concentration on architectural quality when considering listing applications. This policy appears to have changed from 2005, when a plain unspoilt pub, the Eagle at Skerne, was listed. English Heritage now include the following guidance on their web site:
'Pubs: pubs have become increasingly standardised in recent years, and although many hundreds of pubs are already listed for their age or architectural qualities, very few have been listed for their importance as pubs. This means that the importance of many pub interiors has not been fully appreciated. We have launched a campaign which aims to make the public more aware of how the listing criteria are applied to pubs, to ensure that this interesting part of our heritage is adequately protected.'
Many local planning authorities are developing Local Lists of buildings valued for their importance to the local scene or local historical significance but which don’t meet the national listing criteria. Such buildings don’t attract the same degree of protection as a listed building but the authority will take its local listing status into account when considering planning applications. Branches are therefore encouraged:
More information is available on the English Heritage website.