Services

Advice for building owners, architects and consultants

Initial Advice

C20 Society offers free initial advice to building owners and/or their architects and other consultants who are considering projects which are likely to require listed building consent for works to a building constructed after 1914.  It can cover advice concerning buildings which are already listed, buildings for which an application for listing or a COI (Certificate of Immunity from Listing) is under consideration by Historic England/DCMS, or buildings where such an application is likely to be forthcoming.  This advice is also available for works to churches which will both require faculty consent and include the demolition of significant post 1914 building fabric, or fittings in a church covered by the ecclesiastical exemption procedures.

The purpose of the C20 Society’s advice is to improve the applicants understanding of the significance of the building, to discuss the likely impact of any alterations under consideration, and guide the development of the proposals towards high quality outcomes which retain the architectural and historic significance of the building as well as addressing planning, economic and environmental issues. The advice is designed to reduce the risk to the applicant of an application for consent being objected to by C20 Society, and thus reduce the risk of it being refused by the determining body, with all of the abortive costs that would entail.

C20 Society’s initial advice is free and sets out to:

• Advise on the significance of a post 1914 heritage asset, including its overall significance and the relative significance of its constituent elements;
• Discuss the proposed options for future use of the building, the development of a brief and the establishment of a suitable project team;
• Establish those aspects of a proposed options for change which would affect a post 1914 heritage assets (or a post 1914 element of a pre-existing heritage asset), either negatively, or beneficially;
• Establish those aspects of a proposed change that engage the relevant heritage Acts, the historic environment policies of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) or the Ecclesiastical Exemption;
• Identify areas of potential objection from C20 Society, including any aspects of proposals which conflict with relevant national legislation, guidance and historic environment policies;
• Suggest any obvious ways in which potential conflicts might be avoided or mitigated;
• Indicate what information C20 Society would expect any formal application to include.

Our initial advice is free of charge and can be given before an application for listed building consent is submitted.  We welcome engagement at the very beginning of a project.  We will meet the above aims by reviewing information provided, conducting one site visit/meeting if necessary (reviewing further information arising from this), and issuing an advice letter.  Whether or not a site visit is necessary to fully understand the proposals and respond will be determined by C20 staff based on the initial information provided.

Extended Advisory Service

Once the initial advice is complete, further advice from C20 can be sought through our Extended Advisory Service. This further advice will be provided in situations where C20 believes that additional input beyond that provided on all initial Pre-App case submissions would be constructive, and where we have the skills and staff resources to deliver such advice.  This advice will be provided on a cost recovery (not-for-profit) basis and may include on-going verbal and written advice, such as regular consultation between C20 staff and design team members, evaluation and comments on emerging schemes, from a named lead specialist from C20 Society.

Our formal response letter to a local authority planning department regarding a statutory referral of a listed building consent application to C20 Society will always be made without charge, regardless of whether this follows free initial advice only, or free advice supplemented by the paid-for Extended Advisory Service.

Costs

We will record all of the time (including administration and travel time) spent on your case. On submission of each written letter or assessment of a building or a set of proposals we will invoice based on the time spent on your particular case, including travel time, administration time, direct travel costs and associated overheads.

Our current charge for staff time is normally calculated at standard an hourly rate of £100 (not subject to VAT), standard class train fares, or government approved standard car mileage rates (currently 45p/mile). We will agree a ceiling for costs at any particular stage and as and when C20 reaches that quantity of work, we will contact you to confirm if more work is appropriate, and agree a price for anything additional.

Contact us

For more information about our Extended Advisory Service, contact caseworker@c20society.org.uk