Listed Buildings
To search the Listed Building Record please click here
The Secretary of State for National Heritage has a duty to
compile lists of historic buildings selected for their special
architectural or historic interest. Putting a building on the
statutory list draws attention to its special interest and the need
to conserve it. It also ensures that proposals to repair, alter or
demolish are fully examined, and alternative solutions to problems
are properly considered. Listing a building gives the local
planning authority extra controls so that proposals can be given
careful and informed consideration.
Designating a Listed Building
The designation of a listed building affects
your statutory rights with respect to what operations you may
undertake to your property. Any alterations which may affect the
special character of a listed building are likely to require an
application for listed building consent. For further advice on
whether an application is required and an informal opinion please
contact the Duty Officer on 01234 718069 or write to Planning
Services, Bedford Borough Council, 4th Floor Borough
Hall, Cauldwell Street, Bedford, MK42 9AP.
National criteria for selection
- Architectural interest –
design, decoration and craftsmanship, particular building types and
plan forms, construction techniques and technological
innovation
- Historic interest – as illustrations of
important aspects of the nation’s social, economic, cultural or
military history
- Close historic associations – with important
people or events
- Group value – as part of an architectural or
historic entity or fine example of planning, such as squares and
terraces
Grades of Listed Buildings
II: the standard grade: about 94%. Of special
interest; every effort should be made to preserve them
II*: about 4%. Particularly important and of
more than special interest.
I: the top 2%. Exceptionally interesting.
Listing Standards for Age and Rarity
Before 1700: all buildings which survive in
anything like their original condition are listed
Between 1700 and 1840: most buildings are
listed, but some selection is necessary
Between 1840 and 1914: only those of definite
quality and character are listed or listable, though others may
qualify as part of a group; greater selection is needed to identify
the best examples of particular types
Between 1914 and 30 years ago: largely as 1840
to 1914, but more selective
Between 10 and 30 years ago: only buildings of
exceptional national significance and under threat.
What Listing Covers
- The whole of the building, inside and
outside
- Anything attached to it, such as hanging signs
and works of art designed specifically for the building
- Structures within its curtilage, such as
boundary walls and outbuildings, built before July 1948.
Listed Building Consent
Listed Building Consent is required for any works that would
affect any part of the building’s special interest in any way and
owners are required to justify proposals. The aim is not to
fossilise the building but to help reconcile the changing needs of
successive owners whilst conserving its historic fabric and
appearance for the benefit of future generations. The main types of
work that require consent include:
- Demolition, whether partial or total
- Extensions
- Alterations, including small changes to
structure, fabric and appearance, even if they are
improvements
- Repairs which would alter the appearance of the
building or replace historic fabric
Works not normally needing consent
include:
- General maintenance and decorating in accordance
with the existing colour scheme
- Rewiring, installing central heating, replacing
kitchen units and bathrooms, providing the historic fabric of the
building and features such as mouldings and panelling are not
affected.
Buildings at Risk Register
The local buildings at risk register is regularly reviewed by the
Council. This includes investigating and adding new cases that may
have only recently come to light and removing those that have
undergone a scheme of repairs and are no longer at risk. The
register is available in booklet form, however it is intended that
this information will be available online in the near
future.
English Heritage also produces a national register for grade I and
II* Buildings at Risk.
View the
English Heritage Buildings at Risk Register
The registers identify those listed buildings
which are in need of repair if their long term preservation is to
be ensured. Information is included on all the Grade I and II*
listed buildings, and scheduled ancient monuments (structures
rather than earthworks) known to English Heritage to be ‘at risk'
through neglect and decay, or vulnerable to becoming so.
The role of English Heritage is primarily to
provide practical advice and resources to help owners and local
authorities to secure the future of important buildings at risk.
English Heritage works closely with the local planning authority
who are the primary custodians of the historic environment in their
areas. Most of the buildings and structures to be included are in
poor to very bad condition, but a few in fair condition are also
included, usually because they have become functionally redundant,
making their future uncertain. English Heritage strive to foresee
problems likely to arise, taking action to prevent vulnerable
buildings sliding into decay, as well as to address those which are
at risk.
For further information on this topic please contact one of the
Council’s Historic Environment Team:
georgina.machugh@bedford.gov.uk,
Tel: 01234 718564 (Asst. Conservation Officer)
jonathan.duck@bedford.gov.uk,
Tel: 01234 718563 (Conservation Officer, part time Thursday and
Friday)
ian.johnson@bedford.gov.uk,
Tel: 01234 718559 (Team Leader)