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Two-thirds of listed building owners do regular maintenance

Christina Hoghton
Written By:
Christina Hoghton
Posted:
Updated:
27/02/2024

Owning a listed building is a dream for many, but it isn’t without its challenges and maintaining your property is essential

Regular home maintenance is undertaken by two-thirds of owners of listed buildings, according to a recent survey from Historic England.

England and Wales boast half a million listed buildings, and each owner has the responsibility of conserving the history the building holds.

The survey found that a massive 93% of those who own a listed building see their property as being important to the character of their local area and say they are proud to own a slice of history.

But conserving or renovating their historic building can prove a challenge.

A significant 35% of listed property owners surveyed had applied for listed building consent (LBC) in the past five years. However The LBC process can be daunting, and some owners did not go ahead with their applications due to the complexity of the planning process.

John Sell, chair of the Historic Environment Forum, said: “The lesson to be drawn is that the more good quality advice that can be given, the better old buildings will be looked after.”

The Listed Property Owners Club has produced the following top tips for conserving a listed building:

Use tried and tested technology – Experience has shown that using modern technologies alongside traditional building technologies frequently create tensions which are harmful to historic buildings and have caused irreversible damage.

Avoid waterproof membranes – Methods used in modern building constructions such as damp proof membranes, vapour barriers and any impervious layers can be harmful to the building as well as its occupants.

Make sure that all the alterations to a listed building are totally reversible – In practice this means fitting the new around the old rather than altering the old to accommodate the new.

Keep as much of the historic fabric as possible – Only repair when it is necessary to do so as ‘over-restoration’ can result in a new looking building and a loss of historic fabric and character.

Learn about what makes your building significant – Try to understand its story and why it was listed in the first place. Read around the subject and speak to the experts.