Listed buildings

A listed building is;

• of special architectural or historic interest,
• considered to be of national importance and worth protecting.

Is my building listed?

You can check on the The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) website [external link].

What does the grade of listed buildings mean?

Check the Historic England website [external link] for details.

How does listing affect me?

The regulations apply to;

• owners or occupiers of a listed building
• contractors employed to carry out work
• anyone who might alter or damage a listed building.

Any changes to the;

• character,
• appearance,
• interior changes,

of a listed building are likely to need listed building consent.

For example historic fabric such as;

• doors,
• windows,
• fireplaces,

are important to the character of the building.

We recommend you check with our planning services before making any changes.

It is a criminal offence to materially alter or affect the character or appearance of a listed building without first obtaining listed building consent.

I intend to buy a listed building

It is your responsibility to check if consent was granted for any changes since the building was listed.

It may be a condition of buildings insurance or financial loans that works have been carried out with listed building consent.

More information is available from Historic England advice page [external link]

Maintenance of listed buildings

Historic England maintenance and repair of older buildings [external link]

If a listed building has fallen into disrepair it may be at risk.

Historic England buildings at risk [external link]

In such cases we are empowered to take action by the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 [external link].

This could include serving notice on the owner to undertake repairs, whether the building is occupied or unoccupied.

We may make urgent repairs ourselves.

We may then take action through the courts to have the costs of the urgent works repaid by the owner.

What is included in the listing?

The entire property is covered by the designation.

This includes;

• the interior as well as the exterior of the main building,
• any modern extensions or alterations,
• historic gardens,
• outbuildings,
• walls,
• structures or other features within the ‘curtilage’ of the building.

Existing buildings that were in the curtilage of the listed building before 1 July 1948 are taken to be within the protection of the listing of the main building.

They are regarded as curtilage listed [pdf document].

Free-standing structures erected in the curtilage since 1 July 1948 are not protected by the listing.

How do I apply for listed building consent?

Our development management team will handle applications.

See our planning application and permission page for more details.

Further help about listed buildings

•  Conservation Officer, Darlington Borough Council[email protected]
• Historic England [external link] including maintenance, repairs and VAT.
• The Georgian Group [external link] including buildings c1714 – c1837.
• Victorian Society [external link] including buildings c1838 – c1900.
• The Twentieth Century Society [external link] including buildings since 1900.
• Council for British Archaeology [external link].
• Ancient Monuments Society [external link].