Listed Building Consent

Statutory permission required from the local planning authority before any internal or external alteration to a listed building.

Listed Building Consent (LBC) is a separate planning permission required for any work — internal or external — that affects the special character of a Grade I, II* or II listed building. Cornwall has around 13,000 listed buildings, including many granite cottages, Methodist chapels, mine engine houses, and harbour structures.

For renewable energy installs, LBC may be needed for: solar panels visible from a public highway, an outdoor heat pump unit on a principal elevation, ground loops disturbing a curtilage, or any internal pipework alterations. Cornwall Council's Conservation Officer is generally pragmatic about heat pumps if positioned discreetly (rear gardens, low-level, in colour-matched casings).

CCS handles LBC applications as part of the install package — survey, design, supporting Heritage Statement, drawings and submission. Typical determination is 8 weeks, sometimes faster pre-application. See our listed buildings page.