Can I extend a listed building?

Often yes. Successful extensions are usually subordinate in scale, clearly of their own time rather than pastiche, and attached where they cause least loss of historic fabric. A blanket assumption either way is wrong.

Does listing cover the inside?

Yes. The listing covers the whole building, inside and out, and frequently structures within its curtilage. Internal alterations are where most unauthorised work happens.

How long does Listed Building Consent take?

It runs to a similar statutory period as a planning application, but consultation with the conservation officer and, for higher-grade buildings, national amenity bodies is what governs the real timescale. Pre-application discussion is worth far more here than elsewhere.

Do I need both planning permission and Listed Building Consent?

Frequently both, and they are assessed separately. Getting one does not guarantee the other.

Consent · Cornwall

Listed Building Consent in Cornwall — the application where the argument matters more than the drawing

Cornwall has a dense concentration of listed buildings, from harbour-side cottages to farmhouses and chapels. Listed Building Consent is a separate consent from planning permission, it applies to internal work as well as external, and unauthorised work to a listed building is a criminal offence rather than a planning breach.

Book a free consultation See built work

Free · No obligation

Ask us about your project

A free first conversation — no obligation, no sales calls.

What needs consent

Anything affecting the special architectural or historic interest of the building — and that is broader than most owners expect.

Internal alterations: removing partitions, replacing staircases, changing joinery or fireplaces
Windows and doors, including like-for-like replacement in many cases
Re-roofing, re-pointing with the wrong mortar, and external render changes
Curtilage structures such as barns, walls and outbuildings within the listing

The Heritage Statement does the persuading

A good application explains the building's significance, identifies which parts carry it, and shows how the proposal affects each. Where harm is unavoidable, it is justified openly rather than hidden. Officers respond to that. Generic statements assembled from a template are recognised immediately and slow everything down.

Materials and reversibility

Lime rather than cement, breathable finishes, secondary glazing rather than replacement units, and interventions that could be undone in fifty years without loss — these are the moves that carry a listed application. They also happen to be what keeps a solid-walled Cornish building dry.

Frequently asked

Straight answers.

Can I extend a listed building?: Often yes. Successful extensions are usually subordinate in scale, clearly of their own time rather than pastiche, and attached where they cause least loss of historic fabric. A blanket assumption either way is wrong.
Does listing cover the inside?: Yes. The listing covers the whole building, inside and out, and frequently structures within its curtilage. Internal alterations are where most unauthorised work happens.
How long does Listed Building Consent take?: It runs to a similar statutory period as a planning application, but consultation with the conservation officer and, for higher-grade buildings, national amenity bodies is what governs the real timescale. Pre-application discussion is worth far more here than elsewhere.
Do I need both planning permission and Listed Building Consent?: Frequently both, and they are assessed separately. Getting one does not guarantee the other.

Working on a listed Cornish building?

Tell us the grade and what you want to change — we will be straight about what is likely to be acceptable.

Free · No obligation

Book your free consultation

Tell us about your project — we usually reply within 2 hours (working day).