15 March 2010Since 1 April 2005 English Heritage have been responsible for the administration of the listing system. New notification and consultation procedures for owners and local authorities have been introduced, as well as clearer documentation for list entries. Further changes are being made to the listing system including the introduction of new information packs for owners. The intention is to make the heritage protection system simpler, more transparent, and easier for everyone to use.
Listing buildings is an integral part of the system for managing change to our environment through the planning process, and is administered by local planning authorities and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. Giving a building statutory protection against unauthorised demolition, alteration and extension is the start of a process, rather than an end in itself. It identifies the significance of an asset so that its future management can enhance its contribution to local, regional and national life.
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (referred to below as the Secretary of State) is responsible for compiling the statutory list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest. English Heritage is responsible for providing expert advice on which buildings meet the criteria for listing, and for administering the process.
Making an application for listing
Anyone can apply for a building to be listed. If you wish to have a building considered, you should write to English Heritage at:
English Heritage
Heritage Protection Operations Department
1 Waterhouse Square
138-142 Holborn
London
EC1N 2ST
The application should be supported by as much information as possible, including:
o The address of the building
o The reasons why you believe it may merit listing
o Clear original external and internal photographs
o The name and contact details of the owner
o A location map
The more information that is supplied, the quicker a listing application can be dealt with. The application process can be carried out via the English Heritage website.
The listing process
English Heritage are responsible for considering and advising on all applications for listing, and for making recommendations to the Secretary of State about whether to add buildings to the statutory list. 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 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 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.
Reviews
If someone is unhappy with the decision about a building, they may write to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport within 28 days of notification of the decision, requesting that it be reconsidered. The Department will then be able to indicate the likely timescale for consideration of the request, which will depend on the nature of the particular case. Aside from this review process, decisions about whether or not to list or de-list a building are not usually reconsidered unless there is significant new evidence about the special architectural or historic interest of a building, or a material change of circumstances affecting the assessment of its architectural or historic interest.
How long does it take to get a building listed?
Currently it takes around 6 months to deal with a routine listing application, though in very urgent cases decisions can be made much more quickly, sometimes in as little as a week. The new system is designed to streamline the listing process, but new notification and consultation arrangements may initially increase the time taken to process cases.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport published a White Paper 'Heritage Protection for the 21st Century' in March 2007 setting out proposals for legislation that will create a new unified Register of Historic Sites and Buildings in England. Formal legislation is awaited.
Further information on scheduling, listing and registration is available from English Heritage
To contact the Heritage Protection Department at English Heritage please email hpoperations@english-heritage.org.uk.
To contact the Architecture and Historic Environment Division listing team at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, please e-mail listing@culture.gsi.gov.uk
