Listed Buildings and Listed Building Consent

What is Listed Building Consent required for?

Any alterations which will impact on the character of a Listed Buildings, whether historic, architectural or in terms of loss of historic fabric, will require listed building consent.

General maintenance or repair carried out in a ‘like for like’ many (that means using identical materials and design is unlikely to require consent.

As the law is complex if you are in any doubt as to whether the works you intend require consent please contact the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park’s Building Conservation Officer (details at the bottom of the page).

How do apply for Listed Building Consent?

You will need to fill in a form to apply for consent and provide a number of additional pieces of information. Applications can be made on-line via The
Planning Portal.

It is generally best to get an architect or other professional with experience of working with historic buildings to give you guidance and to help you put together a suitable application. When applying for Listed Building Consent to carry out alterations or extensions you should make sure that your application includes adequate information to enable us, the National Park Authority, to fully assess the likely impact of the works on the Listed Building. If all the information is not sent the application may be delayed or even returned to you. There is no charge for a Listed Building Consent application.

Guidance note

Pre-application advice on Listed Building Consent

The National Park Authority has a pre-application scheme where you can apply for advice on the acceptability of any plans for the Listed Building prior to making a formal application. There is a small charge for this service.

The Welsh Government and Cadw both advise that pre-application advice should be sort regarding plans for alterations to Listed Buildings.

How is a Listed Building Consent application assessed?

The protection of Listed Buildings does not mean they are fossilised in time but that any changes must respect the character and special interest of the building.  However, proposals to alter Listed Buildings should only be based on a proper understanding of the building and how they may affect its character. The special character of a Listed Building is precious and can be sensitive to the slightest change. It is therefore essential that any work carried out on a listed building respects the building’s historic character and its setting.

Heritage Impact Statements

From 1 September 2017 a Heritage Impact Statement has been required to support any application for listed building or conservation area consent. The Heritage Impact Statement will replace the Design and Access Statement in the application process for listed building consent.

This requirement is set out in The Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2023, Section 90. The required contents of an Heritage Impact Statement is set out in  The Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas (Procedure and Interest Rate) (Wales) Regulations 2024, Section 4.

Guidance on preparing a Heritage Impact Statement is contained in the Cadw Document: Heritage Impact Assessment in Wales. This is aimed principally at owners and occupiers of historic assets and their agents, but it will also guide the NPA in formulating policies and considering applications for works to historic assets.

Please note that a Design and Access Statement will still be required to support planning applications within the Blaenavon World Heritage Site or in a conservation area for one or more dwellings or the creation of a floor space of 100 square metres (gross) or more are proposed. Further guidance is available in Design and Access Statements in Wales

The Welsh Assembly and Cadw have produced a number of advice and guidance documents that you may find useful. The links are below:

Listed Building Consent and Ecclesiastical Exemption

Listed buildings in the ownership of six ‘exempted’ denominations do not have to follow the secular Listed Building Consent process. Instead Cadw has agreed with each denomination that they may approve alterations to listed places of worship according to controls put in place by that denomination. The basis for the exemption enjoyed by each of the approved denominations in Wales is that each has in place internal processes which provide a measure of scrutiny over proposed works at least as good as the equivalent secular controls operated through local planning authorities. These buildings are known as exempt religious buildings and the ‘exempted’ denominations in Wales are:

  • The Church in Wales
  • The Church of England
  • The Baptist Union of Great Britain and the Baptist Union of Wales
  • The Roman Catholic Church
  •  The Methodist Church

Details of exemption and the controls operated by the respective denominations are contained in ‘The Listed Buildings (Exempt Religious Buildings) (Wales) Regulations 2024’.

This exemption does not apply to the need for Planning Permission and works that are planned that may affect the visual appearance of the building may require Planning Permission.

The exemption only covers the actual building used for worship not any ancillary buildings or structures and if alterations or planned to any of the aforementioned or within the curtilage of the building then Listed Building Consent may be required.

If there is any doubt as to whether Listed Building Consent will be required please contact the Building Conservation Officer on the details below.

Contact Details

Senior Heritage Officer (Historic Building Conservation)
Bannau Brycheiniog National Park

Phone: 01874 624 437

planning.enquiries@beacons-npa.gov.uk