Old buildings and new additions plus new rules on lets

THIS weekend we feature news of the Listed Building Awards run by The Listed Property Owners Club, the only membership organisation in the UK supporting the owners of the nation’s 500,000 Grade I, Grade II* and Grade II listed buildings.

If you have a listed home and have never heard of the LPOC then visit the website as it is a mine of information and the experts there have helped many owners of historic buildings with crucial advice on everything from planning permissions and insurance to the best materials to use.

There is a fee to join the club but you may well find it is worthwhile.

We have focused on the listed buildings that have had contemporary additions, which in the none too distant past would hae been drummed out by planning authorities and looked upon with horror.

Times have changed, at least within some planning departments, and the guidance now is that sensitive, beautifully thought through, contemporary extensions be considered. Why, you may ask. It is all about being able to read the building and make the distinction between the old and the new.

I think it works a treat, though only if done well, and you can see some good examples in this week’s main feature.

We also alert readers to news from Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove’s announcement on new holiday lets. New rules on holiday lets in England will be introduced from this summer. They will force second-home owners to seek planning permission for new short-term lets and there will also be a mandatory national register of short-term rental properties. The move will not apply to people renting out their main home for less than 90 nights a year.

This move is aimed at helping locals in tourist hotspots who are forced out by lack of homes to let and to buy in their area. Let’s hope it has an impact, though it’s clear further measures to help local people are needed.