Delivering dream homes for HNWIs is never without its challenges. There is often a disparity between what clients want and what planning and conservation officers are willing or able to approve – and that means compromise is sometimes the only solution.
It is all about the use of space and how it is viewed and perceived by clients, who usually own many properties internationally but might be unfamiliar with UK planning law. They understandably want to live in prime locations within central London – but with a sparsity of new build properties in these areas, and with the charm and appeal of the historic housing stock – adapting what already exists is usually the only option, and this can inevitably lead to difficult conversations with conservation officers.
By their very nature, many desirable and valuable heritage properties are more often than not Grade II or even Grade I listed – which means any proposed internal or external changes will be vigorously scrutinised, and rejected if they are considered too extreme, out-of-keeping or contrary to the local authority’s relevant policies.
Traditionally in the UK, for example, we are used to maximising space by living in a stacked arrangement over several different floors. But many HNW buyers, particularly those from overseas, are more used to living over a single floor, either in lateral apartments or expansive houses. As a result, we are regularly asked to try to accommodate lifts in the properties we work on, often necessitating significant structural alterations and compromising the resulting layouts of every floor. Unsurprisingly, such a proposal can be a challenge to get past the conservation department and we will typically need to demonstrate a net benefit across the overall scheme in order to be successful.
In the past, high-end developers would often buy up adjoining houses and reconfigure them as a series of lateral apartments – a more attractive proposition to many buyers. But these days, with much stricter planning policies in place, this is rarely possible. Many conservation departments are fundamentally opposed to making lateral spaces out of what was originally separate vertical houses.
So what is the answer? There is no simple solution as every property is different, but we have had great success in marrying the needs of our clients with the those of the planners. Fundamentally it relies on a clear, open dialogue between both parties. This allows a mutual understanding and trust to develop, from which a solution that satisfies all parties can be developed. “Compromise’ is often seen as a negative term but to us it can only be a positive if it means everybody gets what they want to some degree.
So, what actually is a listed building? For a building to have been listed, it is considered nationally important or to be of special architectural or historic interest and therefore worth protecting. Once listed, it will have extra legal protection within the planning system.
A listed building, as the name suggests, is added to a list administered by Historic England. They come in three categories of 'significance'. Most listed building owners are likely to live in a Grade II building as these make up 92% of all listed buildings.
Listings of properties affect owners in different ways, but in simple terms it means there will be greater restrictions over what changes can be made to a building's interior and exterior. Owners will need to apply for Listed Building Consent for any type of work that might affect the 'special architectural or historic interest' of their home.
A listing covers a whole building, including any modern alterations, unless parts of it are specifically excluded in the listing description. It can also cover other attached structures and fixtures and any later extensions or additions within the curtilage of the main building. Pre-1948 buildings on land attached to the building can also be covered.
Whatever way you look at it, the obligations of owning a listed property are onerous and allow little wriggle room for HNWIs with ambitious plans. That said, nothing is insurmountable and with many decades of experience dealing with challenging briefs in heritage properties, we have a wealth of proof that with a well-thought through strategy anything is possible.