Listed buildings - Print version

Coventry has over 400 buildings listed for their architectural or historic interest. These range from the medieval St. Mary's Guildhall [http://www.stmarysguildhall.co.uk/] to Coventry's 1960s' railway station.

View a map and list of all Coventry's Listed Heritage Assets [/locallylistedresults].

Listing a building gives it legal protection, so that it can be preserved for future generations to enjoy. We also have extra policies to make sure listed buildings are protected, which are set out in the Coventry Development Plan. As well as these 'statutorily' listed buildings, we keep a 'Local List' of properties in the city that we believe are architecturally and historically important.

In this section you can find out about statutorily and locally listed buildings, and what this means if you live in, or own, a listed property.

Download and print a PDF of all Coventry's Listed heritage assets [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/37774/listed-buildings].

What is a statutorily listed building?

A statutory listed building is a building or structure which the Government thinks is of special architectural or historical interest. This listing gives a building legal protection from demolition, extensions and alterations which would destroy historic features or affect its character.

The whole of a building is listed - the exterior and interior, together with any outhouse, wall or other structure built before 1 July 1948 within the grounds of the building.

Statutory listed buildings are graded to show their importance:

• Grade I - buildings of exceptional quality; Coventry has 21 Grade I Listed Buildings, including St. Mary's Guildhall and Ford's Hospital.
• Grade II* - particularly important buildings; Coventry has 28 Grade II* Listed Buildings, including Bond's Hospital and Blue Coat School.
• Grade II - the majority of listed buildings of special interest; Coventry has over 350 Grade II Listed Buildings, including Coventry railway station and the Council House.

Download a list of statutorily listed buildings in Coventry. [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/402/listed-buildings-in-coventry]

A map showing listed buildings in Coventry can be found on the Historic England website [https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/map-search?clearresults=True].

Living in a listed building

Most owners and occupiers are proud that their property is listed. Very often the reason they have chosen the building is because of its unique character and history. If you own a listed building, you have to make sure that any repairs, maintenance or alterations suit the design and age of the building.

If a listed building needs work to bring it back to standard, the Council has powers to carry out repairs and recover the costs from the owner. We can, if necessary, buy the property and protect it. But we always try to work with owners, giving them the advice and information they need to take proper care of their building.

Statutory listing does not mean that you cannot make changes. You must take care to match original materials and building methods, and avoid damaging features of historic or architectural value. You should always check if permission is needed before starting any work.

For example, we would not normally give permission to replace original timber windows with UPVC windows or windows of a different design, or to remove chimneys, or to change the original roof materials. Unsuitable alterations not only spoil the appearance of the building, but can also reduce its value. Independent studies show that houses with their original features can sell for more than those that have been poorly modernised.

Locally Listed

A Locally Listed heritage asset is a building, structure or feature, which is not listed by the Government, but that the Council believes is an important part of the city's heritage. Heritage assets on the Local List need not be less significant than designated assets; they may have important local significance.

View a map and list of all Coventry's Locally Listed Heritage Assets [/locallylistedresults]

There are currently over 280 locally listed heritage assets across the city. Heritage assets can be nominated for inclusion on the list [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/109/conservation_and_archaeology/453/listed_buildings/5], and Coventry City Council will use an agreed set of criteria.

As with the statutorily listed buildings, any works carried out should preserve or improve the building and any features of architectural or historical interest should be kept, and suitable materials used.

Under the National Planning Policy Framework the conservation and contribution of locally listed heritage assets will be a material consideration in planning decisions that directly affect them or their setting. Demolition of a locally listed building in a conservation area will need conservation area consent.

In considering planning applications for locally listed heritage assets, we will consider the need to preserve their character or appearance. The Council will try to protect locally listed heritage assets, and will work to find suitable uses which help protect them.

Download a PDF of all Coventry's Locally Listed heritage assets [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/17245/local_list_of_buildings_of_architectural_or_historic_interest].

Nominate a local list heritage asset

To nominate a heritage asset (e.g. an historic building), please first read this Local Listing Criteria information [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/heritage-ecology-trees/listed-buildings/8].

If you wish to nominate a heritage asset, please use this Local Listing nomination form [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/Local_List_of_Heritage_Assets_nomination]. The nomination form asks you to demonstrate how your candidate asset meets the criteria for inclusion on the Coventry Local List of Heritage Assets. 

If you are unable to do this, please download and print a form [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/23530/local_list_nomination_form] and email or send to the address below. All nominations will be considered. Nominated assets will be presented to the public (including the owners and tenants of the assets) inviting views on its heritage value and suitability for inclusion in the Local List.

All heritage assets that are Locally Listed will be available on this website [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/locallylistedbuildings].

Local List nominations

Nomination to the local list will be hosted via our online consultation system.

• There are currently no live consultations underway.

All heritage assets that are Locally Listed [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/locallist].

Nominate a heritage asset for local listing [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/269/heritage_ecology_and_trees/453/listed_buildings/5].

Permission to alter a listed building

You should always check whether you need permission well before starting any work. You will need Listed Building Consent (Historic England) [https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/planning/consents/lbc] for any work that will affect the character of your building. Applications can be submitted on the Planning Portal Website [https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200232/planning_applications/59/how_to_apply].

What work do I need listed building consent for?

Applications will need to be made for work to the inside, as well as the outside, of listed buildings. This may even include quite small alterations or redecoration (for example, if you want to paint the outside walls and they have not previously been painted).

Listed building consent will always be required for:

• Any demolition, including chimneys, internal walls, and buildings and walls within the grounds.
• Any alteration or extension to the building.

You should also check whether you need any other permissions before starting work using these resources:

• Historic England - A guide for owners of listed buildings [https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/guide-for-owners-of-listed-buildings/guide-for-owners-listed-buildings/]
• Historic England permissions for older homes [https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/your-home/improvement/practical-tips/]
• Historic England - Planning permissions [https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/planning/consents/planning-permission/]

For householder and Urban Design guidance for developments in Coventry please see the Coventry Local Supplementary Planning Documents Design Guides [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/111/planning_policy/3600/coventry_local_plan_2011-2031/2].

Adding or removing a building from the Statutory List

We cannot add or remove a building from the Statutory List - this can only be done by applying to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Historic England website: how to get historic buildings or sites protected through Listing [https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/apply-for-listing/].

The Law

It is a criminal offence to carry out work to a listed building without permission and the Council can prosecute if work is carried out illegally. The maximum sentence on conviction in the Magistrates' Court is imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of up to £20,000 or both. If convicted in the Crown Court the maximum sentence is two years' imprisonment, or an unlimited fine. In determining the amount of any fine, the court will take into account any financial gain by the offender as a result of the offence. As well as prosecuting an owner for carrying out works without permission, the Council can issue an Enforcement Notice, which means that the owner must put the building back into its original condition. Failure to obey an Enforcement Notice can lead to a fine of up to £20,000 in the Magistrates' Court, or an unlimited fine in the Crown Court.

Where can I find specialist advice?

It is important to obtain expert advice when considering alterations and repairs to Listed Buildings. You are strongly advised to use the professional services of architects and surveyors who specialise in historic buildings. Surveyors can provide advice on the structural condition of the building's fabric, and works required for its maintenance and repair. Architects are able to provide similar advice but it is particularly important to obtain their specialist advice where alterations and repairs have an effect on historic detail and design. In both cases you should find a consultant who specialises in your type of historic building.

The following specialist organisations and interest groups will be able to provide you with detailed advice or put you in touch with local specialists:

• English Heritage [http://www.english-heritage.org.uk]
• Architects Accredited in Building Conservation [https://www.aabc-register.co.uk/]
• Royal Institute of British Architects [https://www.architecture.com/]
• Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors [https://www.rics.org/]
• Architects Registration Board [http://arb.org.uk]
• The Georgian Group [http://www.georgiangroup.org.uk]
• The Victorian Society [https://www.victoriansociety.org.uk/]
• Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) [http://www.spab.org.uk]
• Institute of Historic Building Conservation [http://www.ihbc.co.uk]
• The Building Conservation Directory [http://www.buildingconservation.com].

Local list of heritage assets – criteria

A ‘Local List’ is a list of ‘non-designated heritage assets’. Non-designated heritage assets are ‘buildings, monuments, sites, places, areas or landscapes identified by local planning authorities as having a degree of significance meriting consideration in planning decisions, but which are not formally designated’. These contrast with nationally designated heritage assets (such as listed buildings or scheduled monuments). Heritage assets on the Local List need not be less significant than designated assets; they may have important local significance. 

Coventry City Council has maintained a Local List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest since (at least) June 1974. The Local List has changed over time, and now over 280 heritage assets are recorded on the Local List. 

 Creating a Local List is a way for local councils and communities to identify and celebrate historic buildings, archaeological sites and designed landscapes which enrich and enliven their area. 
These criteria set out how a heritage asset is considered for inclusion in the Local List. The public, councillors and local interest groups have been consulted on these criteria, and they have been approved by the City Council. 

 What inclusion on the Local List means 

 Local listing is intended to highlight heritage assets that are of local heritage interest in order to ensure that they are given due consideration when change is being proposed. Inclusion of a building or place on the Local List places no additional legal requirements or 
responsibilities on property owners over and above those already required for planning permission or building regulation approval. 

 It can, however, help to influence planning decisions in a way that conserves and enhances local character. Under the National Planning Policy Framework the conservation and contribution of locally listed heritage assets will be a material consideration in planning decisions that directly affect them or their setting. 

 Criteria

The heritage asset be valued locally for some or all of the following: 

• Non-designated heritage assets [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/conserving-and-enhancing-the-historic-environment#non-designated]
• The heritage asset must meet the following criteria:
  • lt must be capable of being a heritage asset within the government’s definition [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-planning-policy-framework/annex-2-glossary] 
  • lt must have heritage interest that can be conserved and enjoyed 
  • lt must have value as heritage for the character and identity of the area for its heritage interest beyond personal or family connections 
  • Its significance must be greater than the general positive value of its surroundings 
• Historic: It is important to understanding an association with a person, event, episode of history, or local industry. This might be an illustrative interest (it illustrates an aspect of the area’s past that makes an important contribution to its identity or character), or an associative interest (it connects us to people and events that shaped the identity or character of the area). 
• Artistic: It makes an important contribution to the positive look of the area either by design or fortuitously. This might include artistic interest or architectural interest. 
• Community: It is important to the identity, cohesion, spiritual life or memory of all or part of the community. This might include commemorative or symbolic interest, that reflects meanings of a place for the people who relate to it. 
• Evidence: It is an important resource for understanding and learning about the area’s history. This might include archaeological interest. The importance of the asset is then assessed, including a consideration of its specialness. The specialness is what makes the heritage significance of the asset stand out above the surrounding environment. The following would be considered: 
  • Age: Is it particularly old, or of a date that is significant to the local area? 
  • Rarity: Is it unusual in the area or a rare survival of something that was once common? 
  • Integrity: Is it largely complete or in a near to original condition? 
  • Group value: Is it part of a group that has a close historic, aesthetic or communal association? 
  • Coventry’s identity: Is it important to the identity or character of the city or a particular part of it? 

The distinctive historic elements of Coventry’s identity that may be considered: 

1. The surviving buildings, defences and street plan of the medieval city centre and its suburbs; 
2. The surviving pre-industrial settlements and landscape features which have been subsumed by the expansion of the city such as Walsgrave, Canley, Binley, Brownshill Green, Coundon Green, Little Heath (Spring Road), Stivichall Croft and Lower Eastern Green (at Dial House Lane); 
3. The wider Arden rural environment on the fringe of the city comprising field-systems, ancient woodlands and commons which developed over centuries; interspersed with a mix of settlements, farmsteads and smallholdings; 
4. Buildings associated with the city’s industrial heritage; ribbon weaving, watchmaking, cycle making, motor car manufacturing, brick making, coal mining, synthetic textiles, munitions, aeronautical engineering, canals and railways; 
5. The Victorian and Edwardian suburbs such as Earlsdon and Stoke; 
6. Designed landscapes, including historic parks and gardens, historic cemeteries, churchyards and public parks; 
7. The significant elements of Coventry’s post-war reconstruction. 
8. Archaeological remains of all periods from the earliest Prehistoric human habitation to the modern industrial period. 

Local Listing Process  

Nominations to the Local List can be made via a form submitted to Coventry City Council [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/23530/local_list_nomination_form]. The council will regularly review the list and propose amendments.

All nominations will be considered by specialist officers, and where the nomination is supported, these will be presented to the public (including the owners and tenants of the assets) inviting views on its heritage value and suitability for inclusion in the Local List.

All decisions made by the Council, will be made available online. All heritage assets that are Locally Listed [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/locallylistedbuildings] are on the website.