Listed building consent

You will need Listed Building Consent to carry out any work to the building that affects its character. This includes demolishing all or part of a listed building, alterations (both inside and out), and extension.

Examples of work which may need consent include:

changing windows and doors;
painting previously unpainted surfaces;
removing external surfaces;
putting in dormer windows or rooflights;
putting up aerials, satellite dishes and burglar alarms;
changing roofing materials;
moving or removing internal walls;
making new doorways or openings; or
removing or altering fireplaces, mouldings, panelling or staircases.

Important – you must not carry out work which affects the character of the building until we have granted you listed building consent. If you demolish or make alterations to a Listed Building without the proper consent you will be committing a criminal offence and penalties for unauthorised works are severe.

Please contact our Conservation and Design team to check whether you require consent to undertake any work.

APPLICATIONS AND ADVICE

How do I apply for listed building consent?

To apply for Listed Building Consent please complete and submit an appropriate listed building consent form, suitable for the work you wish to carry out.

Listed building consent form

When submitting a Listed Building Consent application you should follow this checklist and you will need to include:

full and accurate scale drawings showing the property as it is now and how it be after the work is complete,
details and a supporting statement explaining why the work is desirable or necessary,
any photographs and other supporting material
Knowledge of the site is also recommended (see the South Oxfordshire Design Guide, Section 1.2).

You may find our Heritage Statement Template useful.

Please note, we will only register an application if it includes all the relevant information.

There is no charge to apply for listed building consent however you will need to pay a fee for planning permission, should it be required. You can check our planning fees scale to see how much this might be.

What happens after you submit your application?

Once we have registered your application we will place a public notice on site and in the local newspaper to let people know about the proposed work.

At this stage, interested parties such as residents from neighbouring properties and the town or parish council will have the opportunity to submit their comments.

In certain circumstances we will also consult statutory bodies, including Historic England, and the national amenity societies: The Ancient Monument Society, The Council for British Archaeology, The Georgian Group, The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, The Victorian Society, The Twentieth Century Society and The Gardens Trust.

As with all buildings, you may also need Building Regulations approval before you can carry out any work. This is a separate from Listed Building Consent and if you demolish or alter a Listed Building without consent you will be committing a criminal offence. Penalties for unauthorised works are severe.

What pre-application advice should I follow?

We are happy to offer advice and guidance before you submit a listed building application. To help our officers offer informed advice you will need to provide a summary of your proposal, including rough sketches or photographs. Please note, there is a fee for this service. Please visit our pre-application advice pages for more information and to download the forms.