North York Moors National Park
 

Planning

Own a Listed Building?

 

If you are lucky enough to own or occupy a listed building, you are a guardian for an invaluable part of the nation’s heritage.

This means that there are restrictions on what you can do to it but at the same time, grants may be available and advice can be obtained to help you look after it.

It is important to remember that listed buildings are protected by law. Before you undertake virtually any work on a listed building you will probably need to obtain listed building consent. Planning staff at the National Park Authority will be happy to advise you but the following is a brief guide:

Demolition

Consent is needed to demolish any part of a listed building.

Extensions

These will always require listed building consent.

Alterations

Any alterations which affect the building’s ‘special interest’ will need listed building consent. These include:

  • partial demolition, demolition of boundary walls, associated buildings or structures attached to the listed building
  • changes to the interior features, such as the removal of doors, fireplaces, walls, staircases, plasterwork, floors and historic fixtures
  • alterations to the exterior, including changes to windows, doors, roofs, walls, chimneys, re-pointing in a different way, repainting
  • alterations to any building within the curtilage of the main building

Work not included in the above list may not need listed building consent but you are advised to check before undertaking any work. Failure to obtain listed building consent before carrying out the work could lead to prosecution in a magistrate’s court and a heavy fine.

Be safe – check whether you need listed building consent!

Will I be able to repair or alter a listed building?

Both the Government and the National Park Authority are committed to conserving our built heritage. As such, it is important to maintain listed buildings in a good state of repair which respects their character and history.

Grants may be available to help your repair work. You should repair windows rather than going for wholesale removal; use roofing materials which match the existing building; and make sure that you use architects and builders who understand and have experience of listed buildings. Modern materials such as UPVC are generally inappropriate for listed buildings.

Historic buildings are a precious asset which we must conserve. Their special qualities can easily be destroyed by even small changes. Any proposals to extend or alter a listed building must respect its character and be of high quality design and construction.

Applying for Listed Building Consent

You can obtain a form on which to apply for consent and a leaflet to help you fill it in, from the National Park Office in Helmsley. If you are uncertain as to what is required, please ask the National Park staff for help. You can also download the Listed Building Consent Form and Guidance Notes from the Publications Section.

Information and advice for owners

Buildings are an important part of the landscape of Britain. They embody our culture as well as our quirks, they give us our national and regional identities and they tell us how our society and communities have evolved.

Caring for them is important for our future.

There are around 3000 listed buildings in the North York Moors National Park. They include stately homes and castles, cottages and barns as well as mounting steps, dovecotes, lime kilns and telephone boxes.

What does ‘grading’ mean?

Listed buildings are graded to show their relative importance:

Grade I - Buildings of exceptional interest – only about 2% of listed buildings in the country are in this grade.

Grade II* - Particularly important buildings which are of more than special interest – 4% are in this grade.

Grade II - These are buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them.

All buildings which are listed are protected both inside and outside irrespective of their grade.

Grants and advice

The National Park Authority may be able to help you repair your listed building. As well as providing advice, the Authority has a small amount of money each year to help fund repair work. For more information on the type of work which may be eligible, contact the National Park Office in Helmsley.