Listed Building Consent is required for any alterations to a Listed Building which would affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest - see listed building consent webpage.

In addition, Listed Buildings do not enjoy the same permitted development rights as unlisted buildings, and Planning Permission as well as Listed Building Consent may be required for certain works within the cartilage of listed buildings, which would otherwise be classed as Permitted Development for an unlisted building.

Planning Permission is required to

• enlarge, improve or alter a dwelling house by erecting a building within the curtilage of a listed building.

This includes extensions of any size to the dwelling house, including conservatories. However, porches and dormer windows may be exempt (see below).

• erect, alter or improve any building or enclosure with a cubic content greater than 10 cubic metres, for purposes incidental to the enjoyment of the dwelling house, within the curtilage of a listed building.

This includes garden sheds, greenhouses, garages, stables and other outbuildings, as well as garden structures such as pergolas, gazebos and summerhouses.

• erect, construct, improve or alter a gate, fence, wall or other means of enclosure within the cartilage of, or surrounding, a listed building.

Further requirements are made for Listed Buildings in a Conservation Area, or in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In these instances, Planning Permission is also required to:

• enlarge a dwelling house by the addition to or alteration of its roof, e.g. the construction of dormer windows.
• install a satellite dish on a chimney, or on a building which exceeds 15m in height, or on any wall or roof slope which fronts any public highway, including footpaths and bridleways.
• clad any part of the exterior of the dwelling house with stone, artificial stone, timber, plastic or tiles.

These requirements are in addition to those parts of the General Development Order 1995 (Schedule 2, Part 1) which set out permitted development rights for all dwelling houses. These are explained in the DCLG booklet Planning – A Guide for Householders available free of charge from the Planning Implementation Unit at Ashford Borough Council.

Further permitted development rights may be removed for specific properties, either as a result of conditions on previous planning permissions, or by the imposition of an Article 4 Direction. The Planning Department will be able to advise if this is the case for a specific property.

If you are unsure as to whether certain works will require Planning Permission, please write in to the Planning and Development Unit outlining the nature, size and siting of your proposed development, in order that it may be considered by the relevant Planning Officer.

If you require any further general advice about listed buildings or conservation areas please contact our Planning Enquiries Team on 01233 330264 or email listedbuildings@ashford.gov.uk. For detailed advice on works to particular listed buildings please contact one of the Conservation Officers on either 01233 330729 or 01233 330739.

You will need Listed Building Consent if you intend to alter:

Extensions

You will require Listed Building Consent to extend a Listed Building by whatever degree. In addition, Planning Permission may also be required – see our Listed Buildings and Planning Permission webpage.

In proposing an extension to a Listed Building, it is vital to first appreciate what contributes to the special architectural and historic character of that particular building. For example, it may have a strong degree of symmetry in elevation, there may be a strong integrity or certain compactness of form, or it may possess a fine, uninterrupted roof. Any extension should seek to maintain and even enhance this special character.

The application for Planning Permission will be subject to the usual planning considerations, while the separate application for listed building consent will be judged at several levels.

Firstly, we look at the principle of extension in the context of the particular Listed Building; is the building extendable at all? Government advice in Planning Policy Guidance Note 15 recognises that the special architectural or historic interest of some humble building types as well as of great houses can be ruined by unsuitable extension, and that there will always be some historic buildings where any extensions would be damaging and should not be permitted.  Where the special character of the particular building would be adversely affected, we may not support any extension.

A further important consideration is the cumulative impact of successive extensions on a building’s special interest.

Where it would appear that a physical extension would disrupt a Listed Building’s special character, there may be potential to explore a more imaginative solution for additional space, for example converting an outbuilding into an office, studio or guest accommodation, or conversion of attic space.

Once the principle of extension is deemed acceptable, we assess the impact of the proposed design on the character of the Listed Building in terms of setting, positioning, scale, bulk and mass, design, proportion of elements such as walling, windows and roofs, detailing and materials, together with the impact of any alterations to the historic fabric of the existing Listed Building that would be part of the scheme.

Conservatories are considered in a similar way to any other extension to a Listed Building. Off-the-peg products are unlikely to be successful since it is important that any proposal respects the architectural style, period and scale of the particular Listed Building.  Again, in some situations more imaginative design solutions such as tiled-roofed ‘garden rooms’, formal Orangeries with flat lead roofs and parapets, or detached summerhouses can be more appropriate.

Extensions to converted agricultural or industrial buildings will not be permitted since they will undermine the inherent special architectural and historic character of the converted structure as an example of a particular building typology, and will represent a deviation from the Borough Council’s policy of restricting development in the countryside.

Specialist Advice

An architect or designer who specialises in work to historic buildings will usually be able to ensure that where any extension is possible, such work reflects and maintains the character of the particular Listed Building.

Please refer to our Listed Buildings specialist advice webpage for details.

What if I need to carry out emergency work to a listed building?

You should contact us immediately if damage has occurred or emergency works are required, we will then decide if Listed Building Consent is needed or run you through the options available to you.