Building Preservation Notice
Temporary listing while a decision is made
A Building Preservation Notice is emergency, temporary listing, served by a local planning authority. It protects a building of likely special interest that is at immediate risk, for up to six months. In England the Secretary of State then decides the listing, advised by Historic England. Historic Environment Scotland decides in Scotland, the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland; Wales has no such notice.
What This Means
While the notice runs, this property is treated as though it were already listed. You can live in it, decorate inside and keep it in repair as before. But demolition, extension or any work altering its character needs listed building consent first. That holds even where planning permission would not be needed. The notice ends one of two ways: a full listing, or a lapse. This is one of the few things on this report that lenders and insurers price directly: a listing would make your insurer reassess the reinstatement cost on a listed basis.
Practical Advice
- Ask your conveyancer to confirm the date the notice was served and the date it expires.
- Ask the local planning authority what Historic England advised on the listing, and whether it has reported yet.
- Ask your conveyancer to check that the previous owner held consent for any works done since the notice.
- Apply for listed building consent from the local planning authority before any work that would alter the building's character.
Key Points
- If the listing decision comes back negative, the authority cannot serve another Building Preservation Notice on the building for twelve months. A notice that simply expires carries no such bar.
- A demolition booked for next month must stop: the notice takes effect the day it is served, with no grace period.
Additional Information
A Welsh local planning authority serves a temporary listing notice instead, under the Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2023. A building under listing assessment there also gets automatic interim protection. In Northern Ireland a district council serves the notice and the Department for Communities decides the listing. The linked guidance is Historic England's.