Can I Retrofit a Listed Building or a Building in a Conservation Area

Can I Retrofit a Listed Building or a Building in a Conservation Area?

It is possible to retrofit listed buildings and buildings in conservation areas, however, there may be some products or solutions which are not appropriate and would result in harm to features and characteristics which have resulted in the building or areas designation. This designation is protected by law under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, meaning that there is a legal obligation to ensure its ongoing preservation. Whilst there is this obligation, this does not mean that you cannot make any changes, it just means that they must be done in a sensitive way.

If you are planning to carry out any retrofit work or energy efficiency improvements to your building, it is strongly advised that you employ a conservation accredited professional (please see the Before you Start page for links to this) and engage in the Council’s pre-application advice service, especially if you are unsure whether the measures you would like to implement are appropriate. You must also be mindful that some of the measures might require Listed Building Consent and/or Planning Permission. The Council will be able to advise on this. Guidance can also be found on the Council’s Legislation and Policy page.

Listed Building Consent is required for works which could affect the special architectural and historic interest and significance of a listed building, therefore can be require for both internal and external works to the building. Where Listed Building Consent is required for works to the building, it will be supported if the work will not harm it’s special architectural and historic interest and significance. If the works would cause harm to this special interest and significance, then the Council must weigh the public benefits of the proposal (this has to be the public at large). If it can be demonstrated that the public benefits outweigh the heritage harm, then permission will likely be granted.

Where works are proposed within a conservation area, Planning Permission might be required. The works will be supported if they do not harm the special architectural and historic interest and significance of the conservation area. Some alterations to improve a historic or traditional building’s energy efficiency will cause harm to the significance of a conservation area. Where this is the case, the Council must weigh the public benefits of the proposal, as described above.

With any application where the works affect a listed building or conservation area, it will be necessary to submit a heritage statement which explains why the works will sustain the significance of the listed building or conservation area. This might also be request if your building has been identified as a non-designated heritage asset by the Council. In cases where there might be harm to the significance of the listed building or conservation area, it is important that the public benefits of the proposal are outlined so that they can be taken into consideration. It is also advised that details of other less impactful measures that have already been implemented are described, this can be evidenced using the Quick Wins tick list on the Council’s website.

For more information on heritage statements/heritage impact assessments, please see Historic England’s guide on Statements of Significance. Cotswold District Council also has a template for this which can be found here.

Guidance

PPG: Historic Environment (this is national planning guidance) provides a definition of public benefits in paragraph 020.

Historic England have guidance on Listed Building Consent which also includes details of where Listed Building Consent is required. This is Listed Building Consent: Historic England Advice Notice 16.