Applying to Replace Existing ‘Modern’ Windows in a Listed Building
Written By Alex Young MCIAT – Co-Director of Turley & Young Partnership Ltd
Listed Building Status
If you are in the unique position where you own a listed building and call this your home, you have the privilege to own a piece of British architectural history. Each listed building is unique in its own right and its listed status will be governed by certain historic features, attributes and character.
While there is the unique privilege of owning a listed building, there are also constraints to owning one. You as the owner are obligated to uphold the maintenance of the building and ensure its longevity and condition, which is often limited in what works you can do to them. You as the owner are also obligated to apply for any works which affect its ‘special architectural and historic interest’. This includes upgrades, extensions and renovations, but can also cover repair, subject to its impact.
Listed buildings are designated by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). They are defined by the DCMS as buildings of ‘special architectural or historical interest’. These can also include structures such as bridges, milestones, walls and even telephone boxes.
The legislation surrounding listed buildings is the same no matter what grading the building receives. Listed buildings are categorised into 3 ‘grades’:
- Grade I – Grade I listed buildings are deemed to be of exceptional interest. Examples of Grade I listed buildings include castles, churches and large country manor houses.
- Grade II – This is the most common grade with circa 86% of listed buildings falling into this category. These buildings are deemed to be of ‘special interest’.
- Special Grade II – This is awarded to Grade II buildings with some additional merit, e.g. a unique interior, that are not exceptional enough to warrant a Grade I listing.
Those who own or carry out work on a listed building must be especially careful not to adversely impact the significance and integrity of the building. As a result, there are restrictions on both internal and external alterations to the building, as well as works to certain outbuildings within the curtilage of the building. All planned works will require listed building consent from the local council prior to carrying out the said works.
If works are however carried out without the necessary, relevant consent then you may be given a substantial fine or even imprisoned. For this reason, you must always consult your local authority before carrying out any work on a listed building or even in a conservation area. Conservation Area status also has an impact upon what may need permission, so this is also something worthwhile discussing with your local authority.
Previous windows installed without Listed Building Consent
“I have agreed to buy/own a listed property with modern windows which have not had previous approval and been installed without Listed Building Consent. I want to restore the character of the building by installing high quality window replacements – What is the basic process and how do I go about it?”
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for listed buildings to undergo ‘improvement works’ without prior listed building consent and it sadly a common theme that many listed buildings have been historically changed, and new owners are left with modern poor-quality windows or non-traditional types. If you are keen to replace these modern windows with quality replacements and minded to improve the character, appearance and setting of the listed building then is always beneficial to first consult your local authority conservation officer or a heritage consultant to discuss what options are available to you. The advice will often be to propose to replace the windows and doors with historically accurate or with a suitable material that compliments the original building. Conservation officers will always look for repair and renovation of original windows over replacement, however if all the existing windows are poor quality modern types, they will consider suitable timber or metal replacements.
Once you have consulted a heritage consultant or your local authority conservation team and have received their advice via an informal pre-app you will be able to discuss options with window specialists and professional designers like ourselves to assist you with preparing the listed building consent details for submission for approval. A professional designer like ourselves will have the experience, professional and technical knowledge and will be able liaise with your preferred window supplier and heritage consultant to prepare the necessary information to submit a detailed listed building consent application.
Shortening the timescale
“Why would a professional process help me and shorten the timescale so it’s not utterly frustrating?”
Appointing a professional design consultant like ourselves to assist you with seeking listed building consent approval to replace the windows to your property has several benefits:
- We will work alongside yourself, the window supplier/manufacturer, heritage consultant and liaise with planning authority officers and we do this on a regular basis and have experience with many local planning authorities.
- We have the technical knowledge and skills to prepare the required drawings and supporting documentation to submit to the conservation team to assess and make an informed decision on proposals to replace existing windows with suitable and appropriate window replacement and types.
- We can provide justification and background knowledge to ensure that the chosen replacement window type will improve the property as well as ensuring that the character, appearance and longevity of the listed building is maintained and not adversely affect by the proposals.
- We can assist you in preparing, submitting and managing the listed building consent application through the planning process through to a decision, as well as being a support for liaising and meeting local authority conservation officers on site to view the property and the proposals.
- Provide a full service which includes, survey work, planning and technical drawing work and management of the application for peace of mind during this process.
“What would the likely timescales cost and what will a professional deliver that I can’t do myself.”
Listed consent applications are free to submit to the local authority, which is a bonus compared to other planning application types. The timescale for the listed building consent applications will vary between local authorities and each individual conservation team workloads, however on average you would be looking at a minimum of between 8-12weeks before a decision will be made by the conservation team. Some decisions will take longer depending on the complexity and nature of the specific listed building.
Appointing a professional design consultant such as ourselves will ensure that you don’t need to worry about the planning process and what is required for the application validation teams and conservation officers as part of the submission. We will prepare a comprehensive submission package which will include all local authority requirements and cover drawings, details, technical specifications, window quotes and specifications (provided by preferred window manufacturer), heritage impact assessment (by others or with input from specialist heritage consultant), design and access statement (if needed), application forms and managing the application submission and process. Our fees for this service are competitive.
Legal Requirements
Listed buildings must always be kept wind and watertight, structurally sound and in a reasonable state of repair. If a listed building is neglected by its owner, section 48 of the Planning (Listed Buildings & Conservation Areas) Act 1990 permits the council to serve a ‘repairs notice’ on the owner outlining the work required to rectify it. If the owner does not carry out the repairs within a specified time, then the council can compulsorily acquire the building in order to prevent escalation of any disrepair. If a listed building is either unoccupied or partly occupied , s.54 of the 1990 act allows councils to serve an ‘urgent work notice’ to carry out work on the building and recoup any costs from the building’s owner.
Historic England
Historic England are a body responsible for giving advice on ancient monuments, listed buildings and conservation areas in England and they must be consulted by the council about any applications relating to these. Some of the advice that Historic England offers includes their Charter for Advisory Services which explains how they handle requests for pre and post application planning advice. While Historic England can offer assistance, the local conservation officer at your local council is best placed to offer you advice on any proposal concerning a listed building or conservation area and should in all instances, be your first contact.
Historic England are only routinely consulted on applications affecting Grade I and Grade II* listed buildings, and only in the case of Grade II listed buildings where the proposed works result in the loss of a significant part of the building, such as a staircase.
This blog post was written by Alex Young MCIAT – Co-Director of Turley & Young Partnership Ltd.
You can find out more about Turley & Young by visiting turleyoung.co.uk
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