Is your building on a local heritage list? What it means for planning

A local heritage list records buildings that a council considers important to its area, but it is not the statutory list. A locally listed building is not a "listed building", so the listed building consent rules do not attach to it on that ground. It is a non-designated heritage asset, and that status matters when a planning application is decided.

This post sets out what national policy and guidance say, in the order you meet them. It covers England only.

What is a local heritage list?

It is a list of buildings and other assets that matter to the local community, kept at local level. Policy HE1 of Chapter 20 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), point 1(e), refers to being supported by "a local heritage list to identify non-designated heritage assets that are important to the local community".

The Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) defines non-designated heritage assets as those "identified by plan-making bodies as having a degree of heritage significance meriting consideration in planning decisions". It says that it "can be helpful if local planning authorities keep a local list", so check whether your council keeps one.

Policy HE3 adds that the Historic Environment Record (HER) should inform the preparation of local heritage lists.

Is a locally listed building a listed building?

No. The two lists come from different places and carry different legal effects.

• Statutory list: under section 1 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, the Secretary of State compiles or approves the lists. A "listed building" is a building included in one of those lists.
• Local list: identified through local processes. The PPG names "local and neighbourhood plan-making processes and conservation area appraisals and reviews", and says the decision to identify an asset should be "based on sound evidence".

The consent requirement follows the statutory list. Section 7 says no person shall execute works "for the demolition of a listed building or for its alteration or extension in any manner which would affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest" without authorisation.

One caution. The PPG notes separately that planning permission is required for the demolition of certain unlisted buildings in conservation areas. A local list entry does not create that rule, and it does not remove it.

How does local listing affect a planning application?

Policy HE7 of the NPPF deals with decisions on non-designated heritage assets. It works in three steps.

1. Positive effects are supported. "Development proposals which would have a positive effect on a non-designated heritage asset should be supported."
2. Harm is weighed. Where a proposal would harm the asset's significance, the harm is weighed against the benefits of the proposal and a balanced judgement is made. The scale of the harm and the asset's significance are both considered.
3. Substantial harm or total loss sets a higher bar. The policy says the proposal "should only be supported where the harm or loss is outweighed by the benefits of the proposal".

This is a weighing exercise, not a ban. It does not tell you how a particular council will decide, and no document can promise an outcome.

In practice, the council will want to know what makes the building matter. That is a question about its significance: its age, its materials, its place in the street or village, and what has changed over time. The clearer the evidence on those points, the easier it is for everyone to weigh a proposal fairly.

How do you find out whether your building is on a local list?

There is no single national register of local lists to search, so go to the source.

1. Search your council's website for "local heritage list" or "locally listed buildings".
2. Ask the planning or conservation team whether the building is on a local list, and ask for the answer in writing.
3. Ask about the conservation area appraisal, if you are in a conservation area, because the PPG names appraisals and reviews as a way assets are identified.
4. Ask for the reasons, if the building is on a list. The PPG says identification should rest on sound evidence.

Where does HeritageAI fit?

The Preliminary Planning and Heritage Appraisal (PPHA) is a first read for a building. HeritageAI's AI generates it automatically from the details you provide, and it is sent to you by email. It is a first read to help you plan, not professional advice, and a person does not review each one individually before it is sent.

The PPHA costs £195, paid on download. You can see what one looks like in the Old Posingford sample PPHA, and the current prices are on the pricing page.

What this means for you

• Local listing is not statutory listing. Listed building consent follows the statutory list.
• It still counts. A non-designated heritage asset is weighed in a planning decision under policy HE7.
• Ask early. Confirm the status of your building with the council before you design, not after.

Do you need a heritage professional for a locally listed building?

If a proposal would affect a locally listed building, the decision turns on its significance and on the balance of harm and benefit. A heritage professional can set out that significance in a way the council can test. Our guide to the Statement of Heritage Significance explains what that document covers.

It is a hopeful time to own an older building. Communities are recording what they value in their streets, and people, craft and better tools are working together to look after it.

Book a 30-minute call with Giles to run a first read on one of your own projects.