Listed Building Consent

If your house is listed and you are proposing to alter or extend it you will need Listed Building Consent and you may need Planning Permission. Replacing thatch with any other roofing material requires Listed Building Consent. Any alterations that involve the thatch - for example a new roof dormer or a thatched extension - also require Listed Building Consent and must be carefully thought out.

It is sensible for a thatcher to comment on any plans to make sure that that any new design is suitable for thatch. It is not unknown for a thatcher to arrive on site to find that he is expected to cover the roof of a design that is unthatchable. A pamphlet available from, the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB link to website) gives useful advice to architects and surveyors about the requirements for new design for thatch, including reference to the required fire-proofing, which is more exacting than it is for existing roofs.

There are occasions where roof timbers need repair, and it may be your thatcher who will notice this. It is very important that repairs are carried out carefully, losing as little old timber or other features, as possible. Each case is different, but a careful mend can usually be designed to help preserve as much old thatch and historic timber as possible. If your house is listed and you need to replace old roof timbers you are likely to need Listed Building Consent.The local conservation officer will able to advise you and your thatcher.

Thatch dating from the open hall phase of a house is of major historic importance. Every care should be taken to see that it is not damaged. If your house is Listed, Listed Building Consent is needed if you are proposing to strip smoke-blackened thatch. Most Local Planning Authorities now require Listed Building Consent for a change of thatching material, as recommended by English Heritage in a guidance note on thatching and listed buildings, issued in 2000.

This can be obtained free of charge from English Heritage. If your building is listed and you are planning to change the thatching material on your roof, either from combed wheat reed to water reed, or from water reed to combed wheat reed, you should contact your Local Planning Authority. You may need to apply for Listed Building Consent for the change.

The Planning Authority may refuse consent for replacing combed wheat reed with water reed unless you can make a good case for the change you are proposing. If you are proposing to change the external appearance of your thatch by using a different type of ridge, you may need Listed Building Consent for the change and should contact your Local Planning Authority.