Listed Buildings Frequently Asked Questions

The Secretary of State will remove a building from the list if it no longer meets the statutory criteria. This may be because of new evidence about the special architectural or historic interest of the building, or a material change of circumstances (for example. fire damage that has affected the special interest of the building). The Secretary of State can only take into account a building's architectural or historic interest when considering an application for de-listing.
Applications for de-listing will not generally be considered if the building is currently the subject of an application for listed building consent, or an appeal against refusal of consent, or if action by a local planning authority is in hand. This is because both listed building consent and enforcement appeal procedures give appellants the right to argue that a building is not of special interest and should be removed from the list. Where this process is already underway, the issue of de-listing is more properly addressed in this way.

Applications for de-listing should be made to English Heritage in the same way as listing applications.