Built Environment

1. SCOTLAND’S LISTED BUILDINGS
&
INTERVENTION BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES
Unit 1 Principles of Conservation

2. Scotland’s Listed Buildings

3. What is a Listed
Building?
A listed building is a building
or structure which has been
officially recognised as having
architectural, historical or
cultural significance.
Picture: Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh

4. Which Buildings are
Considered?
•Buildings erected before 1840
•Buildings with individual character
or quality
•Buildings designed by renowned
architects
•Buildings associated with historic
events or nationally famous people
Picture: Bute House-Home of First Minister, Edinburgh

5. Who Decides?
Historic Scotland and Local Planning
Authorities work together to
determine which buildings are
suitable for listing.
Picture: Nelsons Column, Glasgow

6. Legislation
The legislation which covers Listed
Buildings is called:
The Town and Country Planning
(Listed Buildings and Conservation
Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997
Picture: Tron Steeple, Glasgow

7. What does Listing
Mean to You?
When a building becomes listed, it is
illegal to alter, extend or demolish the
building, internally and externally,
without Listed Building Consent,
issued by the Local Planning
Authority.
Picture: Nelsons Monument, Edinburgh

8. What does Listing
Mean to You?
Owners of listed buildings also have
a legal obligation to maintain the
condition of the building. Grants are
often available from Historic Scotland
to assist in the upkeep of such
buildings.
Picture: Willow Tearooms, Glasgow

9. Which Categories Are
There?
There are three categories of listed
buildings in Scotland:
•Category A
•Category B
•Category C
The classification given to each
building identifies which level of
protection they receive
Picture: Craigellachie Bridge, Moray

10. Category A
‘A’ listed buildings are those
considered to be of national or
international importance, either
architectural or historic, or fine-little
altered examples of some particular
period, style or building type.
Source: Guide to the Protection of Scotland’s Listed Buildings
Picture: Wallace Monument, Stirling

11. Category B
‘B’ Listed buildings are those
considered to have regional or more
than local importance, or major
examples of some particular period,
style or building type which may have
been altered.
Source: Guide to the Protection of Scotland’s Listed Buildings
Picture: Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow

12. Category C
‘C’ Listed buildings are those
considered to have local importance,
lesser examples of any period style,
or building type, as originally
constructed or moderately altered;
and simple, traditional buildings.
Source: Guide to the Protection of Scotland’s Listed Buildings
Picture: Park Hall, Shetland Islands

13. How Many Listed
Buildings Are There?
There are approximately 47,00 Listed
Buildings in Scotland:
•Category A – 8%
•Category B – 60%
•Category C – 32%
Picture: Airth Castle, Falkirk

14. Where are the Lists Held?
To find out if a building is listed you
can access the lists by contacting:
•Planning Offices
•Historic Scotland
•Royal Commission of Scheduled and
Ancient Monuments in Scotland
Picture: Crossraguel Abbey, Maybole

15. Intervention by Planning Authorities

16. • Published in 1998
• Gives guidance on:
– Listed buildings
– Intervention by planning
authorities
– Conservation areas
– Gardens and designed
landscapes
– Grants and loans
– Appeals, purchase notices and
compensation: the rights of the
applicant
Historic Scotland
Memorandum
of Guidance

17. • Where unauthorised alterations or
extensions are carried out to a listed
building, planning authorities can
either prosecute (usually in exceptional
cases only) or issue an enforcement
notice (more common)
• Where unauthorised alterations or
extensions are carried out to a
scheduled monument planning
authorities cannot issue a listed
building enforcement notice. The
matter should instead be reported to
Historic Scotland
Introduction

18. Listed Building
Enforcement Notices
• Notices are served in writing to
the current owner, lessee and
occupier of a building
• The notice states:
– What unauthorised work has
allegedly been done
– The steps required to either
• Restore the building to its former
state
• or alleviate the effects of the work
carried out without listed building
consent
• or to bring the building to the state
it would have been in if the terms
of listed building consent work had
been complied with

19. Unauthorised works
• Offences include
– unauthorised demolition of a
listed building
– unauthorised alterations or
extensions that affect the
character of the building
• Offenders are liable to up to
24 months imprisonment and /
or an unlimited fine on
conviction on indictment (for
trials held with a jury)

20. Dangerous Buildings
• Building control authorities may serve a notice
requiring the owners of a building to execute
works to make safe or to demolish the building
because of its dangerous state or other major
defect
• However, the owner must still obtain listed
building consent (or conservation area consent)
for any such works
• If a listed buildings is also a scheduled
monument, scheduled monument consent must
also be obtained from the Secretary of State
• Works urgently required in the interests of
health and safety may be permitted provided
that:
– The works are limited to the minimum measures
necessary
– Notice in writing, justifying the need for works in
detail is given to the Secretary of State

21. Repair & maintenance
• The preservation of traditional buildings
requires their regular maintenance and
timely repair.
• Planning authorities can serve repair
notices or may compulsorily purchase a
listed building if it is being neglected.

22. Compulsory acquisition
• Listed buildings which are not being
properly conserved may be compulsorily
purchased
• This does not apply to ecclesiastical
buildings in use as such or scheduled
ancient monuments

23. Compensation on compulsory acquisition of
listed buildings
• Any person whose building is compulsorily purchased is entitled to
compensation
• A planning authority which is satisfied that a listed building has been
deliberately allowed to fall into disrepair in order to justify its
demolition and the redevelopment of the site can, when making a
compulsory purchase order, make a ‘direction for minimum
compensation.
• i.e when valuing for compensation it is assumed that neither
planning permission nor listed building consent would be given for
any works to the building except those for restoring it to a proper
state of repair

24. Further Reading
The following websites and publications offer more detailed advice on the
listing of buildings:
•Guide to the Protection of Scotland’s Listed Buildings – Published by Historic Scotland
2006
•The Town and Country Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas)
(Scotland) Act 1997
•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listed_building
•http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/historicbuildings.htm