Heritage blog
Heritage blog: practical guidance on heritage planning.
Articles, guides and answers to the questions our clients ask most often — covering listed building consent, heritage impact assessments, conservation management plans and energy efficiency on listed buildings.
All articles
“But We’re Not on the Local List”: Unlisted Buildings and the 2026 NPPF
Being left off the council’s local list does not put a building beyond heritage policy. A worked example of how an ordinary unlisted building gets caught, what the 2026 Framework now asks, and what an owner or developer can do about it.
Read article →Garden Offices and Outbuildings at a Listed Building: When Do You Need Permission?
At most houses a garden office needs no planning application. At a listed building it does. What the rules are for sheds, garden rooms and play equipment, when listed building consent is needed as well, and what the council has to decide.
Read article →Buying a Listed Building That Has Been Altered Without Consent
Unlike almost every other planning breach in England, unauthorised work to a listed building never becomes immune from enforcement. What a buyer actually takes on when a listed building has been altered without consent, and what to check before exchange.
Read article →What happens to heritage case law now the NPPF has changed?
More than fourteen years of heritage case law was built on a set of paragraphs that no longer exists. Between 2012 and this August the courts did the slow work…
Read article →The End of “Less Than Substantial”: How the New NPPF Redefines Harm
For more than fourteen years, almost every heritage assessment written in England has reached for the same phrase. The proposal would cause less than substantial harm. The harm should therefore…
Read article →The new NPPF 2026: what it changes for listed buildings and heritage
The Government published a new National Planning Policy Framework on 17 August 2026. It replaces the December 2024 version and is the first complete rewrite since the Framework first appeared…
Read article →Solar panels on listed buildings: the 2026 rule change
The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Order 2026 comes into force on 27 August. It was made on 29 July and laid before Parliament the following…
Read article →Heritage Informed, August 2026 (Edition 5)
This edition leads with the first part of a two-part special feature on AI in the built environment: where the sector actually stands, why the reluctance to talk about it…
Read article →What a fabric assessment is actually for: the mortices that answered a condition
A Grade II hall in Suffolk, an extension refused in its first form, and a condition that could only be discharged because a fabric assessment had already recorded the timber…
Read article →We’ve Read Parliament’s New NPPF Briefing So You Don’t Have To: Our Take for Heritage
NPPF heritage policy would be rewritten from the ground up under the government’s draft framework: "less than substantial harm" becomes a mandatory categorised impact test, "great weight" becomes "substantial weight",…
Read article →How long does listed building consent actually take?
Listed building consent has a statutory determination period of eight weeks. That is the answer most clients are given when they ask how long the application will take. It is…
Read article →Solar Panels on Listed Buildings: Why the Myth of Impossibility is Costing Owners Money
There is an assumption that circulates persistently among listed building owners, their agents, and sometimes even their planning consultants: that solar panels on listed buildings will never get approved. That…
Read article →Reflecting on 2025: A Year of Preservation and Progress at Heritage Unlimited
As 2025 comes to a close, it's time to reflect on a fulfilling year of heritage conservation work at Heritage Unlimited. We've been fortunate to work on an array of…
Read article →Remembering the Brave: Exploring the History and Design of UK War Memorials
Across the countryside and cities, UK war memorials quietly stand guard, inscribed with the names of those who gave their lives. Ranging from majestic empty tombs to simple inscribed stones,…
Read article →Introducing Our Refreshed Logo: A Symbol of Evolution at Heritage Unlimited
The new Heritage Unlimited logo is the visible part of a longer story. At Heritage Unlimited, we've always believed that understanding the past is key to shaping a better future.…
Read article →Thrilled to Feature in Listed Heritage Magazine
Heritage Unlimited is delighted to be featured in Listed Heritage magazine, the official journal of the Listed Property Owners Club (LPOC). As heritage consultants working with listed building owners across…
Read article →Successful Solar Panel Installation on a Grade II Listed Building in Sevenoaks
We're thrilled to share a major win: Grade II listed solar panels approved in Sevenoaks, Kent. This project demonstrates how historic properties can embrace modern sustainability without compromising their heritage…
Read article →Heritage Unlimited to Exhibit at The Listed Property Show 2025 and Unveil New Logo
Heritage Unlimited was an exhibitor at The Listed Property Show 2025. This premier event, dedicated to the conservation, restoration and energy efficiency of listed properties, took place at Severn Hall,…
Read article →The Dye House, Milford Mill
Heritage Unlimited prepared a Heritage Statement for the Dye House at Milford Mill, Belper, built on detailed research into the building and its fabric. This grade II listed building has…
Read article →Rediscovering history
In 2019, Heritage Unlimited were engaged by the owner of 5 Pemberton Row to provide a Heritage Statement (now termed a Heritage Impact Assessment) to support a planning application and…
Read article →Paul Clarke guest on The Farmer’s Planning Podcast
Heritage Unlimited director Paul Clarke was a guest on The Farmer's Planning Podcast, hosted by Foxes Rural Consultants. Paul spoke about listed buildings and the need for rural heritage statements…
Read article →Get in touch
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