UK Grade II listed house

6 years ago

We are considering purchasing a house in the UK which is unfortunately Grade II listed. Does anyone know where we can find out or who we can speak to to find out what the specific listing includes and what alterations would be allowed?

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Angela Gilham

6 years ago

It's quite possible that the person doing the original listing didn't get to see the inside of the house. When real panic began to set in about the loss of historic properties, quite a few listings were done on an almost "drive by" basis. By contrast, my hovel (and I strongly suspect the reason it's still standing is that nobody had any money to upgrade or replace a farm labourer's cottage) has internal walls, a staircase (of quite bone-breaking steepness and irregularity), beams and the barn floor all explicitly mentioned in the listing. Not, of course, that it matters whether something is mentioned in the listing, as the listing covers *everything* --all the exterior, all of the interior, and all of the curtilage as well.

Good luck with the wall and the shower. You'll definitely need listed building consent for the wall, and it's likely you'll need it with the shower -- particularly if you need to add an extractor fan through a wall or window.

I forgot one other recommendation. Buy this book!

https://www.spab.org.uk/publications/old-house-handbook/

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Comments (7)

PRO
User
6 years ago
Hi,

I have done quite a few Grade ll listed properties.

Just finished one called Moor Hall.

I'm sure you know already but I must warn you they run away with budget very fast and you need to literally double any timescale you had planned on to allow for listed planning permission, bats, conservation issues etc etc...

Your best bet is too contact the local planning department and ask to speak to the conservation officer.

He will give you the information you need.

It's usually a dilemma insofar as the listing officer will not like the idea of you touching anything but you obviously have to make some changes to renovate. There are no set rules, it's usually down to a negotiation where you set out in detail what you want to do, draw it up and supply a statement to illustrate how the work will be done. If he approves your good to go. This process can take a long time negotiating between what you want and what he/she will allow. Moor Hall was scheduled to take 12 months, it took almost two years....

You also have to consider modern building regulations, fire regs etc. They will insist on certain alterations then the conservation officer won't let you do it as it will damage the fabric of the building.... This will take a lot of negotiation to please both parties.

I would highly recommend you employ a local architect with a track record of dealing with listed properties and dealing with your local council.

Its a lot of effort but its worth it to see the building coming back to life, its so rewarding.

Here are a few pictures of Moor Hall to inspire you.

This was a shell of a building when we started.

Regards,

Martin

www.angel-martin.com
Angela Gilham
6 years ago
Assuming your target is in England, it'll be on
"The National Heritage List for England" (link below). Stick in the postcode/town/village of the property, and you'll be able to find the listing data -- which will give you the bare bones summary of the listed features of the building. Given that the building is Grade II, you're probably not going to have Historic England (or Welsh/Scottish/NI equivalents) breathing down your neck every time you repaint.

However, you must be sensitive to the reasons why the building was listed, and be prepared to work with the local planning officer. In the UK as a whole, only a tiny fraction of the built environment is listed, and it's mainly done so because of the age/historic importance of the building -- just because I think my house is a hovel doesn't mean that it's unimportant as a house. The very fact of survival means that those features that survive are worthy of conservation.

Listed building must be appreciated for what they are. A listing isn't "unfortunate", it's a badge of honour.

For basic practical advice, I usually start with The SPAB and the Listed Property Owners Club.

https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/

https://www.spab.org.uk/

https://www.lpoc.co.uk/
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caw01
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you very much for the advice. The house is already renovated and the changes we want to make are to the interior - install shower upstairs, perhaps remove a stud wall that divides a room and raise the ceiling in upstairs bedroom to expose the roof beams.

I have looked up the details of the listing and it is very brief, and only refers to the exterior.

I will contact the authorities you suggest.

One hears so many stories of red tape and the huge costs related to changes or maintenance of listed buildings that we have always steered away from even viewing them.

PS: Moor Hall looks stunning
minnie101
6 years ago
Definitely try and get hold of the details of the local Historic Building Consultant. I previously dealt with our duty planning officer whom took months to respond anything due to staff cuts in the planning department and anything has to be referred to the HB consultant anyway. The shower shouldn't be an issue if pipes are existing, it will definitely need consent if you need to install new ones due to damage to walls and floor. The wall shouldn't be issue if it's a modern addition. I'm pretty sure you'd need consent for the ceiling, do you actually know if the beams are in a good enough condion to expose? Maintenance costs can be high due to the age of the building. I'd definitely get a building survey (formerly full structural survey) done. They obviously can't look behind walls or floors but should point out any potential hidden defects
PRO
Listed Property Owners Club
6 years ago
We would be delighted to offer you impartial help and advice with all aspects of buying, owning, renovating and conserving a listed home. It needn't be scary!
Jonathan
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I feel for you and concur with your statement that the listing is unfortunate.
In my opinion the problem is that there is not a black and white rule for what is permitted- it’s often down to the individual in charge of consent, what kind of stupidity they are channeling on the day.
I used to own a Georgian property with a small and particularly bland 1960’s extension with all the wrong proportions. I was not allowed to change the extension flat roof for something sympathetic, I was not allowed to replace the wide picture window with a window to match the rest of the house all because it was encompassed by the listing which happened after the extension was built.
In my opinion the current policy is flawed and does not protect these buildings’ character but (in the hands of the wrong conservation officer) isolated them from improvements that would make them desirable/functional for modern living.
Definitely secure the help of someone to negotiate any changes on your behalf.