Listed buildings and heritage assets
A listed property is a building or structure of special architectural or historical interest protected under the planning system. Listed buildings, structures and landscapes form an important record in the development of the national culture and its history and it is important that these are protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
It is estimated there are over 500,000 listed buildings and structures on the National Heritage list for England only, with similar numbers for Northern Island, Wales and Scotland.
What categories are there for Listed Buildings?
Grade I listed buildings are of exceptional interest and only 2.5% of the listed buildings in England are Grade I.
Grade II* buildings are considered more than special interest and particularly important. 5.8% of listed buildings are designated as Grade II*.
The remaining 91.7% of all listed buildings are Grade II this being the most common designation for most listed buildings in England.
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II*
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A similar listed building grading is used in Wales and Northern Ireland while Scottish heritage buildings are graded differently as Grade A, B and C with Grade A being buildings of special architectural or historical interest and considered outstanding examples of their type, period or style and equivalent to Grade I.
There are other heritage designations such as Scheduled Monuments, Registered Parks and Gardens, registered battlefields, protected wreck sites and local designations which include Conservation Areas and non-designated heritage buildings which have an important role in the local historical landscape, towns and cities.
What are the key considerations with any listed building or designated heritage asset?
Any listing designation covers the whole building, both internally and externally and is not confined to the description in the listing. This merely assists in identifying the building structure or monument which is listed or otherwise designated. It also covers other buildings within the curtilage of a listed building. These can sometimes be difficult to determine. If in doubt assume it is listed and check with the local authority conservation officer.
To justify any significant works to a listed building or designated heritage asset it is important to understand the building or structure’s values and how the proposed works will impact on these. These are defined by:
value
Our surveyors will be checking the structural integrity of chimney stacks and their condition. Looking for defects and inappropriate materials and potential repair issues.
Chimney stacks
The outside of a building
Ensuring that the roof is wind, weathertight and structurally sound is a very important consideration. Our surveyors will be looking at the type of materials, advising on availability for replacement, detailing issues in terms of material longevity and workmanship and the potential remaining service life before repairs or replacement is necessary.
Roof structure and roof coverings
Listed buildings comprise of a variety of different wall components which vary throughout the country each with their own specific characteristics, durability and detailing issues which need to be carefully considered as part of any repair, alteration or extension works.
External walls and cladding
The fenestration of a building is particularly vulnerable to the agents of timber decay, corrosion and damage. Our heritage surveyors will carefully consider the type and extent of repair works to ensure the doors and windows to a listed building are conserved and repaired to maintain the historical appearance and importance of the listed building while ensuring their functionality and sustainability for the future.
Doors and windows
Disposal of rainwater is an important aspect of the functionality of any building, particularly listed buildings where uncontrolled discharge or surcharging, particularly in the changes to our climate can result in catastrophic damage and failure of the fabric of a listed building resulting in very expensive repairs and loss of historic fabric.
Rainwater goods
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External
Internal
The structural capacity of the floors and the condition, particularly where the joists and beams are built into the external walls are of particular importance. Timber decay, inappropriate alterations and overloading are common problems.
Floors
The condition of lime plaster coatings to walls, lath and plaster ceilings, cornices and other architectural features need to be carefully considered. Lath and plaster ceilings are prone to sudden failure and often their removal and replacement with modern alternatives has resulted in extensive loss of historic fabric.
Walls and ceilings
The condition of flues both masonry and metal flues for wood burners and open fires needs to be carefully considered, particularly if the building has a thatched roof. Poorly installed or deteriorating flues are a common cause of fires in listed buildings which can have catastrophic impact with the significant loss of the building.
Fireplaces and chimney flues
Identifying the historic importance of doors in the context of a listed building, ensuring that repairs to doors and door furniture seeks to preserve these important historical assets ensuring that they are enjoyed by owners of listed buildings and future generations.
Internal joinery and doors
The mechanical and electrical installations and plumbing and heating to listed buildings presents their own challenges, particularly as service runs and chases can cause extensive damage to listed buildings. Inappropriate mechanical, electrical and plumbing installations can cause long term problems New sustainable mechanical and electrical systems is particularly pertinent given increasing concern around climate change. The right advice carefully tailored is an important facet of our service.
Mechanical and electrical
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The inside of a building
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All alterations and many types of repairs will require listed building consent or in the case of scheduled ancient monuments, scheduled monument consent. Even re-roofing with like for like materials, repainting and other extensive repairs will require listed building consent.
Only minor repairs where the historical fabric is refixed or replaced on a like for like basis in small, isolated areas would be excluded from listed building consent. A courtesy letter to the conservation officer is always recommended explaining what propose to do and seek clarification on whether consent is required.
It is possible to seek listed building consent for demolition of a listed building, but this is only granted in very exceptional circumstances and a very strong case would need to be made in order to justify the loss of historic fabric of this scale.
Evidential
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Aesthetic
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Communal
Works to heritage and listed buildings require a full understanding of traditional materials and techniques but these need to be employed with skill, care and attention as inappropriate specification and design with such materials can still lead to irrevocable harm to the historic fabric of a building.
It is important to understand the ecological impact of proposed works to listed buildings and historical assets, particularly where these disturb the habitats of protected species such as bats. The presence of bat roosts in a listed or heritage building can create significant delays to any proposed projects and it is vital to understand these impacts and plan accordingly.
The ecological impact
The selection of the right building contractor with the necessary experience, understanding and skills is a critical issue in the successful execution of works to a listed building. Understanding the health and safety impacts and responsibilities is the same for a listed building as any other building when commissioning building works.
Our approach to listed buildings and Heritage Assets
Our building consulting professionals are based in Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and London. They have extensive experience and expertise in advising clients in the residential, commercial, institutional and third sectors on their listed and heritage property assets.
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Our surveyors are experts in providing realistic and practical advice, they are well versed in working closely with other essential consultants such as historic building consultants, ecologists, structural engineers, quantity surveyors and mechanical and electrical consultants as well as specialist contractors and supplies in the heritage sector. They also work closely with architects to provide detailed plans and designed for extensions and alterations to listed buildings and heritage structures.
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Our personal and effective approach to heritage and listed buildings means that we can tailor our range of services to suit an individual client’s or building’s requirements. We can provide the following services:
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Full project management services from inception to completion for repair, conservation, refurbishment and alteration projects to listed buildings.
Building survey and building defect and pathology advice ranging from
full level 3 RICS building surveys to investigation, diagnosis and recommendations for repairs to specific defects.
Reinstatement cost assessments of historical and listed building assets
and portfolios.
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Planned preventative maintenance of historic buildings, historic assets and portfolios.
Dilapidations advice including preparation of schedules of dilapidations on listed commercial buildings using our unique blend of heritage listed building advice and dilapidations expertise.
Providing energy efficiency assessments using specialist software to potentially improve EPC ratings on listed buildings and heritage assets and tailoring that advice realistically to ensure that it can be successfully delivered with the necessary listed building consent.
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Forward thinking services and advice
Our extensive heritage sector experience seeks to combine the skills and materials of the past with future technology and sustainability.
Working with other key consultants with heritage building experience and expertise Carter Jonas looks to provide our clients with the necessary balance of experience between conserving and repairing the historical fabric of listed and heritage buildings which makes them unique and special while ensuring they are future proofed and sustainable thus ensuring their long-term future.
This is a careful balance requiring careful forethought and experience in negotiating the planning process while carefully considering the impacts of modern technology and sustainable materials and techniques with those of the past.
Carter Jonas works with our extensive network of consultants who have extensive and impressive track records with heritage buildings and the heritage sector.
Our national network of building consultancy officers allows us to address a wide range of different listed buildings and their materials and local techniques and particular issues and potentially apply these lessons to other listed building across the country where appropriate.
Examples of our work
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Modern Art Oxford
Location: Oxford
Front Quad, Worcester College
Location: Oxford
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Modern Art Oxford
Oxford
Following a competitive tender, Carter Jonas was appointed as Lead Consultant, Principal Designer and Project Manager to design, specify and both contract administrate and project manage a scheme of external rood and repointing repairs and internal refurbishment works to the administration offices
The team was initially instructed to support the Arts Council England funding bid and we assembled the project design team consisting of the mechanical and electrical consultants, the quantity surveyor, structural engineer and lift consultant to develop the design to RIBA Stage 3 and provide both technical and budget support to the funding application which was achieved in a very tight timescale.
Modern Art Oxford was successful in their ACE funding application and Carter Jonas was retained to take the project forward from RIBA Stages 4 through to 6 and handover. We are also assisting with the decanting of the gallery staff to other parts of the building to facilitate the works.
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Front Quad, Worcester College
Oxford
The relationship between Worcester College and Carter Jonas dates to the early 1920's, being appointed throughout the years on a variety of projects, including obtaining competitive tenders for renewal of sub-mains in the front quad, ducting for new data cabling with a watching brief for an archaeologist and the restoration of a listed medieval wall.
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In 2016, our team won the contract for architectural and building consultancy services on the College's Staircases 1-10, a number of mixed use Grade I listed medieval buildings. After the first inspections, we produced a forward plan of sequential works and took the responsibility of managing the entire project.
Providing minimal disruption to the College, our team took on board all requirements against preapplication advice from Historic England and the Conservation Officer, Oxford Archaeology and other consultants. The Carter Jonas team has successfully delivered the first planned phases and continues to work with the College.
Contact us
All services are coordinated and overseen by our experienced property specialists:
Email me
Richard Harris
Partner
07887 834071
Email me
Richard Love
Head of Architecture & Building Consultancy
07780 667010
Email me
Darren Hetherington
Business Development Manager
07917210213
Problems
with listed buildings
Key considerations
Our
approach
Why
choose us?
Our
work
Contact
us
Rainwater goods
Doors and windows
External walls and cladding
Roof structure and roof coverings
Chimney stacks
Mechanical
and electrical
Walls and
ceilings
Fireplaces and chimney flues
Floors
Internal doors and joinery
24 Queen Square
Location: Bath
24 Queen Square
Bath
Carter Jonas initially acted on behalf of the freeholder to provide terminal dilapidations advice associated with the expiry of a long-term lease in 2018. Input has continued to be provided including technical dilapidations advice, engaging a specialist to provide Section 18 input and other professionals as necessary to reach a settlement in late 2021.
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The team managed a detailed and arduous Pre-App followed by Planning and Listed Building Application process during 2020 which finally delivered a permission in November 2020. During the dilapidations process, the Building Consultancy team was instructed to procure major works advice including the preparation of a comprehensive specification and obtaining competitive tenders from locally sourced contractors during Q2 2020. We provided advice and recommendations to appoint a contractor under the terms of a JCT Intermediate Contract.
Total project costs are expected to be in excess of £1.5m with a programmed completion of the end of 2022.
Click between the external and internal buttons below to explore
Analysing individual building components including those that present a risk
Carter Jonas seeks to provide balanced advice between ensuring the sustainability and long-term future of listed buildings and assets against conserving and preserving the historical fabric and heritage values which make listed buildings particularly unique and special. We seek to achieve a balance between practicality and conservation principles while attempting to achieve the client’s aims in terms of their use and enjoyment of their listed buildings.
The unique nature of listed buildings, their materials and design present particular challenges in a changing environment. Our external and internal diagrams below help to highlight what our surveyors will be considering when reviewing a listed or heritage building.
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Listed buildings
and heritage assets