Historic and Listed Buildings
General Statement
A key part of Central Government and Vale Royal Borough Council policy is the effective protection of the historic built environment. The physical survivings of our past are important for a number of reasons:
- As reminders of our cultural heritage
- To provide tourism resources
- To help maintain a sense of national and local identity
- For the visual enjoyment of local residents
Vale Royal Borough Council is also committed to the concept of sustainable development. It believes that the historic built environment is irreplaceable and should not be sacrificed for short-term gains.
Listed Buildings
The Secretary of State compiles lists of buildings of special architectural or historic interest. The buildings that are listed are selected from agreed criteria following investigation, research and recommendations from English Heritage.
The process of designation or listing is under review by the government and a White Paper was published in March 2007. Revised Principles of Selection for Listed Buildings were also published and can be found on the principles of Selection for Listed Buildings link from this page.
Booklet on Listed Buildings in Vale Royal (November 2000)
The Vale Royal area includes about 700 listed buildings with almost 900 separate elements of special architectural or historic interest.
These are detailed in a special booklet produced by Vale Royal Borough Council, containing a selection of photographs. The booklet also contains an explanation of how buildings are selected for inclusion on the Statutory List, some general guidance on listed building control and an overview on the historic built environment of the borough.
Because there can be frequent changes to the list, an Errata and Addenda to the booklet is posted in the links on this page. This is regularly updated.
The booklet is now available free of charge from:
- The Tourist Information Office, Northwich
- One Stop Shop, Castle Park, Frodsham
- Conservation and Design Manager, Environmental Policy, Vale Royal Borough Council, Wyvern House, Winsford, CW7 1AH
- email: dhayes@valeroyal.gov.uk
- or telephone: 01606 867721
Historic and Listed Buildings Guidance
The Council has also produced a booklet giving advice on the repair and maintenance of historic and listed buildings. It also deals with VAT, grants, extensions and planning and listed building controls. 'Guidance for Historic and Listed Building Owners' has been sent to the owners of every listed building in the borough and can be viewed by clicking on the link to the right.
Register of Historic Building Services (consultants, specialists and contractors)
The conservation officers within Cheshire have jointly prepared a register of consultants, specialists and contractors that have experience of working on historic buildings. The Register is managed by Cheshire County Council and can be accessed through the following link. Register of Historic Building Services (External link)
The register is merely a list of those with experience in the historic environment field and should not be taken as a recommendation or guarantee that those included within it are appropriate for any particular project.
Inevitably there may be inclusions within the Register that are out of date or no longer appropriate and where this is the case the details should be reported to the Conservation and Design Manager, Environmental Policy, Vale Royal Borough Council, Wyvern House, Winsford, CW7 1AH, email: dhayes@valeroyal.gov.uk
or telephone: 01606 867721
Buildings at Risk
Central Government has encouraged the Council to regularly monitor the condition of the listed buildings within its area. Information on the condition of grades I and II* buildings is forwarded to English Heritage and published within the annual Register of Buildings at Risk. A Strategy for the monitoring and management of the listed buildings at risk within the borough has been adopted by the Council, which will be reviewed annually.
The current Strategy can be accessed from the links on this page.
For further information contact the Conservation and Design Manager, Environmental Policy, Vale Royal Borough Council, Wyvern House, Winsford, CW7 1AH,
email: dhayes@valeroyal.gov.uk or telephone: 01606 867721
Locally Important Buildings
Listed buildings are selected according to national criteria, however many buildings which are valued for their contribution to the local scene, or for local historical associations, will not merit listing. The Government has encouraged local authorities to draw up lists of locally important buildings and to formulate local plan policies for their protection. The Council has followed this approach although the list is under constant review. Further details can be obtained from the links on this page.
For further information contact the Conservation and Design Manager, Environmental Policy, Vale Royal Borough Council, Wyvern House, Winsford, CW7 1AH,
email: dhayes@valeroyal.gov.uk or telephone: 01606 867721
Historic Building Grants
The Borough Council no longer awards Historic Building Grants, these are now probably best sourced through an internet search engine. An example is www.ffhb.org.uk (External link).
For further information contact the Conservation and Design Manager, Environmental Policy, Vale Royal Borough Council, Wyvern House, Winsford, CW7 1AH,
email: dhayes@valeroyal.gov.uk or telephone: 01606 867721
Last modified: 14 November 2008
