Department for Culture Media and Sport
listed buildings
When a building is "listed" it is recognized as being of special architectural or historic interest.
Listing protects that building against unauthorised demolition, alteration or extension and ensures that its special interest is taken into account when proposals are put forward which affect its character or appearance.
Decisions as to which buildings are listed are taken by the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, who is required by the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 to compile or approve a list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest.
English Heritage (EH) administers the listing system on behalf of the Secretary of State.
Statutory criteria for listing | Grading of listed buildings | How to apply for listing or de-listing | Altering a listed building | Certificates of Immunity (CoI)
Statutory criteria for listing
The Secretary of State uses the following criteria when assessing whether a building is of special interest and so should be added to the statutory list:
- Architectural interest
A building must be of importance in its architectural design, decoration or craftsmanship; special interest may also apply to nationally important examples of particular building types and techniques (e.g. buildings displaying technological innovation or virtuosity) and significant plan forms
- Historic interest
A building must illustrate important aspects of the nation's social, economic, cultural or military history and/or have close historical associations with nationally important people. There should normally be some quality of interest in the physical fabric of the building itself to justify the statutory protection afforded by listing
When making a listing decision, the Secretary of State may take into account the extent to which the exterior contributes to the architectural or historic interest of any group of buildings of which it forms part. This is generally known as “group value”.
Not all these criteria will be relevant to every case, but a particular building may qualify for listing under more than one of them.
Further detail on the Principles of Selection for listing buildings is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 15: Planning and the Historic Environment (PPG15), which was updated in March 2007 by local authority planning circular.
More information can also be found on the Communities website.
EH has produced a series of selection guides for different building types.
These demonstrate which features are considered significant and likely to make a building of special architectural or historic interest when assessing buildings of a particular type from different periods, regions, or styles. It is recognised that some buildings are unique or will fall into more than one building type.
Please note: The statutory criteria and Principles of Selection take precedence over the selection guides, which are not exhaustive and are intended as supplementary information only. The Selection Guides are liable to change as and when EH gain new knowledge regarding different building types.
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Grading of listed buildings
Listed buildings are graded to show their importance:
- Grade I buildings are those of exceptional interest
- Grade II* are particularly important buildings of more than special interest
- Grade II are of special interest, justifying every effort to preserve them
There are about 370,000 list entries, and of those over 92% are Grade II.
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How to apply for listing or de-listing
If you wish to have a building considered for listing or de-listing you should submit an application form to English Heritage. Further information on listed buildings, including the guidance notes explaining how to complete the application form, can be found on English Heritage’s website.
English Heritage assesses buildings put forward for listing or de-listing and provides advice to DCMS on the architectural and historic interest. The Secretary of State, who is free to seek additional advice from others, then decides whether to list or de-list the building.
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Altering a Listed Building
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is not responsible for approving alterations to listed buildings. The management of listed buildings is the responsibility of local planning authorities and, ultimately, the Department of Communities and Local Government.
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Certificates of Immunity (CoI)
Provided that planning permission is being sought or has been obtained, any person may ask the Secretary of State to issue a CoI in respect of a particular building. CoIs give certainty to developers proposing works which will affect buildings that may be eligible for listing.
If you wish to apply for a CoI you should submit an application form. Guidace notes available on English Heritage website.
Last updated 4 November 2009
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