Homes with heritage

Do you know which permissions your Grade listed building needs in order to go on the market?

Cornwall is famous for its wealth of beautiful, Grade listed buildings, however as an owner, you have a legal obligation to obtain listed building consent for any alterations you wish to carry out. This includes external and internal changes, as well as those to any buildings on the land attached to the house. It’s a common misunderstanding that no permission is needed for alterations to the inside of listed buildings, particularly in cases involving Grade II listed homes, but this is not the case.

“… it’s important you ensure that the relevant permissions are sought and put in place before you enter the marketplace.”

Often work may already have been carried out without consent, either by yourselves or by previous owners, which can create an issue should you decide to sell. And, while it may be possible to obtain a retrospective listed building consent for the work, it can often take a lot of time, meaning you could lose your buyer as a result. With this in mind, it’s important you ensure that the relevant permissions are sought and put in place before you enter the marketplace.

Andrew Hayes at Court Design & Conservation has the knowledge and expertise to assist owners in this situation, helping with negotiations with the local authority conservation office and the submission of documentation to obtain a decision. What’s more, situations can arise where the work that has been done is so far-reaching and damaging to the historic building that consent would not be forthcoming. In this case, Court Design can provide guidance on managing your particular circumstances.

The importance of having all the relevant approvals in place lies in enabling a smooth transition of an historic building from one owner to the next, and ensuring that it’s respected and maintained, not just for the owner’s enjoyment, but for the sake of preserving Cornwall’s rich heritage.

If you’d like to sell your Grade listed building but aren’t sure whether you need to gain certain permissions, or if you’d just like to gain peace of mind in case you should decide to sell in the future, why not contact Andrew Hayes at Court Design & Conservation?