Extending a listed building – go contemporary or copy?

There are two choices to extending a listed building: do something completely different or celebrate what is already there. Your choice will depend on your aspirations, what you want to achieve and what the local planning authority will allow. You will be surprised to hear that there are no hard and fast rules. Extending listed buildings will depend as much on the opinion of the case and heritage officers in your local council as what you want.

English Heritage often supports a modern and contemporary approach to extending listed buildings. Its stance is that a contemporary extension retains the integrity and interpretation of the original building. But as with all organisations it will depend on who you meet with on site and perhaps even which side of the bed they fell out of that morning! Tasked with with preserving the local historic environment the local conservation officer, often under pressure from the local amenity society may disagree. So here is when you need the negotiating skills of an experienced heritage planner. To extend a listed building you will need both planning permission and listed building consent. We’ll handle them both and can recommend an architect with the creative flair and skills needed to succeed.

You will also need patience and stamina. Planning and Conservation staff in local authorities are under severe pressure – involving a planner from the outset in pre-application discussions indicates you are serious and have a credible proposal.

Interested to know your thoughts on the contemporary extension below?

2JRW

 

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