Grade II listed building consent in London

The short answer

A Grade II listed building is fully protected by the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. Listed building consent is required for any works that would affect its character, inside and out. The standard of evidence expected is lower than for Grade II* or Grade I (Historic England is not normally consulted), but borough conservation teams still expect a proportionate heritage statement, a measured survey and a sympathetic specification.

What Grade II means in the listing hierarchy

Listing grades are assigned by Historic England. Grade I is reserved for buildings of exceptional interest (around 2.5 percent of all listed buildings), Grade II* for particularly important buildings of more than special interest (around 5.5 percent), and Grade II for buildings of special interest warranting every effort to preserve them (around 92 percent). The legal consent regime under section 7 of the 1990 Act is identical across all three grades.

The consent regime for Grade II

For Grade II buildings: listed building consent is required for any alteration or extension that would affect the building's character. The application is determined by the local planning authority. Historic England is not normally a statutory consultee for Grade II (the threshold is Grade II* and above). The Twentieth Century Society, the Victorian Society and the Georgian Group may be consulted on works to buildings within their respective periods.

Common Grade II works and how they fare

• Internal redecoration: usually outside the consent regime if like-for-like.
• Sympathetic rear extension: routinely approved if subordinate and well-detailed. See our guide on what needs consent.
• Kitchen renovation: needs consent if any plan form change or services chases. See the kitchen renovation guide.
• Window replacement: usually refused if uPVC; usually approved if timber to match. See the windows guide.
• Rooflights and dormers: rear approved if discreet; front almost always refused.
• Loss of chimney breast: almost always refused.
• Open-plan ground floor: regularly refused on unaltered Grade II terraces.
• Solar panels: approved if not visible; refused if visible from public realm.

The most common Grade II refusal reasons

1. Loss of historic plan form, usually through removing a spine wall in a terrace.
2. Unauthorised window replacement in modern materials.
3. Unsympathetic rear or roof extensions that compete with the principal elevation in scale or material.
4. Loss of chimney breast, particularly on upper storeys.
5. Removal of historic joinery, particularly staircases, panelling and architraves.
6. Cement repointing or render over historic lime work.

Borough practice on Grade II in London

Westminster, Camden and RBKC are the most rigorous on Grade II in central London, with extensive pre-application engagement, validation scrutiny and committee referral on contested schemes. Islington, Hackney, Lambeth and Southwark are similar on protected streets. Outer boroughs operate at a lower volume but with comparable standards. See our LBC process guide for the borough-level position.

The application process

1. Pre-application engagement with the borough conservation officer (charged, but recommended).
2. Commission of a measured survey and existing-plan drawings.
3. Preparation of proposed drawings and a heritage statement.
4. Submission via the Planning Portal, free of charge for LBC.
5. Validation (one to six weeks in London).
6. Eight-week determination from validation.
7. Decision and discharge of any pre-commencement conditions.

Outbound references: the Historic England listing grades guidance and the 1990 Act.