Listed property advice

colliecrew

I've just discovered my newly acquired farmhouse is C(s) listed(category III in England).
The previous owner informed me it is the exterior only of the building that is listed and it may be possible to have this listing deleted as the farmhouse was harled many years ago.
I'd appreciate any advice of the pro's and con's of owning a listed property.

Campbell

clutton_2

sorry, i cannot work out what "harled" should be .....

Doozergirl

It's not just the outside of a building that is listed. It is also about preserving the way in which a building evolves over time, whilst being sympathetic to it's age. I'd be very careful about any work that affects the layout or struture of the house, it needs permission and you can be prosectures if you carry out work without it.

It really depends on the level of work you ever plan to carry out on the property as to whether you try to get the listing removed. I've not heard very much about it, except that it's unlikely to work; they must have listed it for some reason originally and if you've ever met a Conservation Officer, you'll immediately understand how passionate they are about heritage. I wouldn't cross one!

What else? With regards to maintenance, owning a listed building borders between being pretty expensive and a money pit! Hopefully your farmhouse has lots of character to compensate!

Did your vendor tell you this before or after you bought the house? There's a specific question relating to Listing and Conservation Areas in the Seller's Property Information Form, I'm sure.

EDIT: I've just re-read this and I have no idea what category III is either. Listing starts at Grade II doesn't it? Could category III just mean that it is in a Conservation Area? That would make sense regarding the outside!

colliecrew

hope this helps !!!!!

Harl \ harling- (Scottish) a form of roughcast widely used throughout Scotland and the north of England, in which a mixture of an aggregate (usually small even-sized pebbles) and a binding material (traditionally sand and lime, latterly portland cement) is dashed, or hurled (harled) on to a masonry wall.

This is the definition of the category listing I found on Historic Scotland's website :
Category C(S): Buildings of local importance, lesser examples of any period, style or building type, as originally constructed or altered; and simple, traditional buildings which group well with others in categories A and B or are part of a planned group such as an estate or an industrial complex.

Doozergirl

Is your house featured on this website? (you can search by eg. village)

http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/

colliecrew

My new house is in Scotland and it does have stacks of character.
My wife and I want to extend into the workshop, which would originally have been a barn. So I'm unsure if the listing will effect this ?
I'm popping in to see my solicitor tomorrow, so I think pick his brains for some advice.

Thanks for the advice.

Doozergirl

Local Council will be the best people to speak to for advice as to what you can and can't do Hopefully the Planning Department will fully employ a conservation officer.

Our local council even has glossy leaflets regarding each conservation area!