25 CATHEDRAL COMMUNICATIONS THE BUILDING CONSERVATION DIRECTORY 2025 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 1 importance of the building/place/heritage asset, and should support the best viable use that is compatible with the fabric, setting and character of the building. Applicants should justify their proposals, and show why alteration or demolition of a listed building is desirable or necessary.’ Strategic Planning Policy Statement (SPPS) 2015. Harm can often be mitigated by making the alterations reversible. New components must be fitted to the form and detail of the existing fabric rather than cutting into the original components, and all interventions should always be kept to the minimum. Works not requiring listed building consent Like-for-like repairs do not require consent provided they do not involve any alteration or demolition. This means using materials to match the existing materials (even if the existing materials were used inappropriately), and the repairs must be limited to the area that needs repairing. All works should be carefully documented with before and after photos and notes detailing what was done. However, most repairs will involve a degree of alteration, and often even minor work can inadvertently lead to incidental alterations, particularly where nonspecialist craftspeople are unsupervised. So, to avoid any misunderstandings the local authority should be notified before the work commences. For all works to historic buildings it is essential to engage the services of professional consultants who specialise in the conservation of historic buildings, both to specify the works and to liaise with the local authority. In most cases it is also essential to retain the services of the consultant as part of the conservation team until the project is complete, as no specification can anticipate all outcomes, particularly where historic buildings are concerned. ECCLESIASTICAL EXEMPTION Most churches in the UK are exempt from ordinary listed building consent requirements to some degree. In England and Wales the exemption is restricted under their respective ecclesiastical exemption orders (see table) to denominations with their own internal systems of control, on the basis that their systems are equal to or better than the consent procedures of local authorities. Standard listed building and conservation area controls apply to the places of all other denominations and faiths, including synagogues and mosques for example. In Scotland and Northern Ireland the exemption from listed building controls extends to all places of worship whether Christian or not. However, the majority of Christian denominations operate their own internal systems for reviewing and approving work. In Scotland most have also voluntarily agreed to seek listed building consent for external works including alterations and extensions, so here the exemption is generally limited to the interiors. Once made redundant the church ceases to be a place of worship, so ordinary listed building consent requirements apply. Conservation Areas are areas of special architectural or historic interest whose character or appearance it is desirable to preserve or enhance. Local authorities must STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS AND GUIDANCE DENOMINATIONS AFFECTED ENGLAND The Ecclesiastical Exemption (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (England) Order 2010 The exemption is limited to the following denominations only: The Church of England The Roman Catholic Church The Methodist Church The Baptist Union of GB The United Reformed Church WALES The Listed Buildings (Exempt Religious Buildings) (Wales) Regulations 2024 Managing Change to Listed Places of Worship in Wales, Cadw, 2018 Baptist Unions of GB and Wales The Church in Wales The Church of England The Methodist Church the Roman Catholic Church NORTHERN IRELAND The Planning Act (NI) 2011 Section 85(8) The exemption includes all denominations and all places of worship in Northern Ireland SCOTLAND The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 Section 54 The exemption includes all denominations and all places of worship in Scotland The Mackie Mayor, an 1858 Grade II listed market building in Ancoats, Manchester, which was rescued by developers Muse and architects Buttress, and is now a thriving food hall. Listing enabled the historic fabric to be retained and repurposed to great effect. take this into account when exercising its planning functions. The designation of conservation areas reflects the idea that the historic environment more generally, as well as particular buildings or monuments, warrants recognition and protection. JONATHAN TAYLOR MSc, IHBC is the editor of The Building Conservation Directory.
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