This is where it’s vital to understand exactly what’s involved before you take
on that charming old rectory, or a quirky water mill.

To become listed, a building must satisfy various criteria. Grade II denotes
structures of “special interest,” Grade II* “more than special interest,”
and Grade I “exceptional interest.” Of 500,000 listed buildings in total, 92
per cent are Grade II, 5.5 per cent are Grade II* and just 2.5 per cent
Grade I.

Carrying out unauthorised alterations to a listed building is a criminal
offence. It could also lead to a bill of thousands of pounds to restore the
building to its original state.

You should also be ready to navigate Britain’s planning laws. And don’t forget
the risk of bumping into a town-hall purist, who doesn’t like your plan to
put a satellite dish on an 18th-century cottage.

But while getting planning permission can sometimes be difficult, it is by no
means impossible. Up to 90 per cent of listed building consent applications
are approved, say English Heritage. They warn, however, that many suggested
modifications, especially those involving that old heritage bugbear, double
glazing, are shot down at a preliminary stage, and never make it to the
planners’ desk.

Grade II listed applications are made to the local authority in the first
instance. English Heritage gets involved as a matter of course only with
Grade I and Grade II* listed buildings. Their advice might be sought later
with Grade II listed buildings, where major change or demolition is
visualised, or where the local authority has particularly asked for
specialist input.

But be warned: it can all take time. Listed building consent applications need
to be accompanied by detailed drawings. And there are often informal
negotiations behind the scenes as owners attempt to strike a balance between
the needs of modern life and the preservation of their prestigious period
property.

After all, conservationists and planners are not there to make your life a
misery, they are simply trying to protect the built environment. And if you
look around some of Britain’s most attractive villages and towns, you can
see just what a good job they have been doing.

The key is to work with planners as far as possible. Don’t make it difficult
for them. Talk to your neighbours about what they have and haven’t been able
to achieve, but keep your ambitions realistic.

In such a specialised field, well-informed advice is obviously at a premium.
One of the best sources is the Listed
Property Owners’ Club (LPOC), which holds an annual show in
London (see below).

It was founded by Peter Anslow, who had struggled to find a reliable source of
information about what he was and was not allowed to do when he bought a
Grade II listed property in Kent. The organisation has nearly 2,000 members
paying an annual subscription of £55.

“Some of them already own a listed property, others are still at the stage of
thinking of buying one,” says LPOC’s Jo Dennis. “They find us a useful
one-stop shop for advice on everything from permissible architectural
changes to VAT planning.

“Insuring listed buildings can be particularly complex, but we are able to put
together deals. When it comes to textbook conundrums such as whether you can
replace old windows with new ones, the more help you can get, the better.”

Knight Frank’s James Carter-Brown agrees: “Professional advice is essential.
There are so many variables to take into account. One local authority might
be strict, for example, while the neighbouring authority is more flexible.”

The most sensible strategy, Carter-Brown reckons, is “to take a holistic
approach. Decide what sort of property you want to end up with, then work
with architects, designers and service engineers to make your vision
practical and admissible.”

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Similarly, no listed property in
heritage-conscious Britain is going to be transformed into a 21st-century
home just by revving up a bulldozer and hiring an interior designer.

But work with the grain, enter into a constructive dialogue with the planning
authorities and a satisfying synthesis of old and new could be within your
grasp.

Before buying a listed building:

• Consult experts with specialist knowledge of the relevant architectural
period. They will be able to advise you on what, if any, structural changes
to the property are likely to be admissible. Try the Georgian
Group,
Victorian
Society or the Society
for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.

• If you encounter difficulties with your local planning authority, contact
English
Heritage at an early stage in proceedings. Its support can be
crucial in the long run.

• Be sure to read the relevant sections of the English Heritage website, which
contain up-to-the-minute planning advice, including guidelines on how to
make listed buildings more energy efficient.

• Remember that your property is only part of a larger community. If you are
surrounded by other listed buildings, your scope for manoeuvre will be
correspondingly limited.

• Beware that, in a listed building, some internal features, e.g. fireplaces,
are regarded as integral to the property, and cannot be altered at will.

• You can qualify for grants for repairs and VAT reductions on building works
with some listed buildings. See the English Heritage site for further
details.

• Don’t assume that the garden is yours to play with. There may be listed
walls or trees for instance.

• Sweet-talk your neighbours. They are potential allies in any planning
disputes.

The Listed Property Show takes place at Olympia, west London from February
16 -17. For details, visit lpoc.co.uk/property-show,
call 01795 844939 or email info@lpoc.co.uk. Entry is free if you register in
advance.

This year the Angel Awards will once again honour the heroic volunteers,
resourceful fund-raisers and nimble-fingered craftsmen, who safeguard our
embattled historic buildings. The awards were launched in 2011 by Lord
Lloyd-Webber and English Heritage. They have been championed in this paper
ever since. The 2013 awards will be launched in the spring, shortlisted and
judged by a panel of experts over the summer. If you want to know more, or
are involved in a heritage project, visit telegraph.co.uk/angels