Local heritage list

Royal Borough of Greenwich compiles, publishes and maintains a List of Buildings of Local Architectural or Historic Interest. This is separate from the National Heritage List for England (NHLE), the statutory list maintained by Historic England and the Secretary of State.

The local heritage list is meant to accommodate buildings that may not meet the stringent criteria for inclusion on the NHLE, but that are still of importance within the local architectural and historic context.

Differences between locally and nationally listed buildings
Locally listed Nationally listed
Not graded Three listing grades (II, II* and I)
Not associated with a specific consent regime, although normal planning permission requirements apply - local heritage status will be taken into account in deciding whether to grant permission Subject to Listed Building Consent

Local heritage listing criteria

The purpose of the local heritage list is to identify buildings, structures and monuments of local architectural or historic importance and to preserve their features of interest as far as possible.

The Royal Borough is happy to receive suggestions for buildings to be added to the list and welcomes submissions from individuals, groups, societies or schools. The local heritage listing procedure note sets out in detail the process and requirements of applications to locally list a building within Royal Greenwich.

The overarching criteria for inclusion of buildings on the local heritage list are:

  • historic interest
  • architectural interest
  • environmental significance.

There are over 500 entries on the local heritage list ranging from houses, shops and public houses to transport structures and townscape features such as post boxes and cattle troughs.

View the local heritage list

Alterations and extensions to locally listed buildings

Listed Building Consent only applies to nationally listed buildings, that is, those on the NHLE, and is not required for buildings on the local list. You may, however, have to obtain planning permission for alterations or extensions to a locally listed building, or for demolition if the building is within a conservation area. Check with our Planning department for further information.

Local policy gives substantial weight to preserving the significance of locally listed buildings. Applications for alterations or extensions to such buildings will be expected to:

  • preserve or enhance the appearance and character of the building
  • retain any features of architectural or historic interest
  • use appropriate materials.

Permission is not required for ordinary repairs. We encourage you to use appropriate materials to ensure the character and appearance of the building is preserved.

More about planning permission