Listed buildings are decided by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport with new entries being added all the time. You might know of a listed building near you, whether it’s a church, a monument or a country home – but did you know these seven surprising facts?
Fact 1: Your property can be listed without your consent
You might not know that any building can be listed and that there is no requirement to consult with or seek the consent of the owner. That means that your home could be listed without you being aware that the process is taking place. You would be informed if your property gets listed, but once this has happened the home will be subject to certain protections which would make it harder for you to make any changes to the property.
Fact 2: More than 92% of listed buildings are Grade II
There are actually three grades that a building can fall under. The most common is grade II, which makes up around 92% of the list. These buildings are considered to be of special interest. Grade II* buildings, which make up around 5.5% of the list, are considered to be of more than special interest, while the most prestigious category is Grade I, which makes up just 2.5% of the list. Grade I buildings are deemed to be of exceptional interest.
Fact 3: Listed properties require planning permission to get Sky TV
Listed buildings are deemed to warrant every effort to preserve them in their current condition which is why you have to request permission to make any changes if your property is listed. One thing that many people who buy a listed property don’t realise is that it can be very difficult to get Sky TV. This is because to receive Sky you are required to have a satellite dish somewhere on your property and this is deemed to spoil the aesthetic of the property. There are now additional options, such as getting Now TV, but having an actual dish put up can be very difficult.
Fact 4: Age is the major determining factor
The criteria for how buildings are chosen is deliberately vague so that as long as the building is of special interest, it can be selected. However, one of the most important factors in whether a building is listed is the age of the property. The large majority of the buildings built before 1840 that survive in anything close to their original condition can be found on the list. The more modern the building, the less likely it is to be listed – just 770 buildings on the current list were built after 1945; that’s only 0.2% of the total number.
Fact 5: Liverpool has the UK’s most Grade II listed buildings (outside London)
Liverpool has long been known as one of the UK’s most cultured cities, and this shows up in the list. There are more than 2,500 buildings and 250 public monuments listed within the city limits. That’s the most of anywhere in the UK outside of London. These include the Liverpool Cathedral, the Royal Liver Building and Speke Hall, which was originally constructed in 1530.
Fact 6: A diving board and a skatepark are on the list
Some of the buildings and structures that have made the list are quite unusual. The Rom is a skatepark in East London which was built in 1978. It was the first skatepark in Europe to be given listed status. Other strange entries on the list include an Art Deco diving board in Swindon and a petrol station close to Leicester.
Fact 7: The list has topped more than 460,000 entries
There are a huge number of listed buildings in the UK – the list currently sits at around 460,000. The list is growing all the time too.
Article provided by Mike James, an independent content writer in the property industry. For the information in this post, Surrey-based surveying firm Hutton and Rostron were consulted.
