When Big Ben fell silent on Monday 21st August, ready for a £29m refurbishment, it was seen as a symbolic albeit somewhat controversial moment. This was due to the campaigning of traditionalists in the weeks prior who felt in the wake of Brexit that Big Ben, such a large and iconic part of Great Britain’s identity, should not be silenced for the proposed 4 years.
But for residential listed building owners, it highlighted something altogether more controversial – the time and cost needed to restore a listed building.
Clive Aslet, writing for The Times summed this up when he stated:
“Parliament will happily vote for money to put its own house, however belatedly, in order. Isn’t it time that it treated others struggling to maintain equally splendid buildings with a bit of consideration?”
With some MPs feeling inconvenienced by a change of work place, and tax payers funding the refurbishment of the tower, listed property owners are left scratching their heads when it comes to finding the funds and manoeuvring red tape to conserve and restore their own listed buildings. Behind the scenes of our busy Club where we help and advise our members on a daily basis, we also dedicate ourselves to our Campaign for Owners.
Challenges listed property owners face go back to 2012 when government removed the VAT concession on authorised alterations to listed buildings. This concession, introduced some years ago, not only assisted owners but more importantly warned conservation officers in advance of unsuitable changes. Now there are concerns that this change plus local government red tape is not only preventing many people adapting their home for modern day living, but it is also increasing the amount of unauthorised work being carried out on properties that represent a major part of the nation’s heritage. This in turn is creating a hidden threat to owners.
Successful campaigning from LPOC saw the creation of The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Listed Properties in October 2016. The APPG is made up of MPs who want to press the Government for tax and planning reform and the aim is to give a voice to the thousands of homeowners who are struggling to protect a significant part of the nation’s heritage.
The Listed Property Owners’ Manifesto, created by LPOC, highlights a key message that thousands of listed properties across the country are cherished and protected by owners who spend precious time and resources keeping them in good repair. Yet many of these owners struggle to find the resources to maintain these properties and constantly have to battle the challenges posed by the UK’s complex and inconsistent planning rules and regulations.
We revealed that 87% of owners surveyed in the recent campaign had said they considered the cost of upkeep of their listed building to be significantly greater than that of an unlisted building and urged the political parties to support our four-point plan:
- Introduce a new VAT rate of 5% for all repairs and pre-authorised alterations to listed buildings;
- Give local councils a duty to provide professional conservation advice to the owners of listed properties;
- Reform planning regulation to ensure better consistency in deciding listed building consent across the country;
- Remove unnecessary red tape by establishing nationally set exemptions on minor works that should not require listed building consent and introducing a more routine less bureaucratic method for securing consent for minor works
The Club takes calls on a daily basis from people who cannot buy or sell, or even re-finance their listed homes because of alterations made without consent even by previous owners. Owners could even face a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment or an unlimited fine and an enforcement notice with the purpose of reversing the effects of the unlawful works. LPOC founder Peter Anslow said:
“The fear is that Britain’s important homes are being put unnecessarily at risk of damage from unauthorised and inappropriate work. At the same time owners themselves are often unaware of the repercussions until it is too late.”
For more information on our Political Campaign or to offer your support to the campaign please call the Club on 01795 844939 or email info@lpoc.co.uk.
