Town and Country Planning Act 1971

54 Lists of buildings of special architectural or historic interest

(1) For the purposes of this Act and with a view to the guidance of local planning authorities in the performance of their functions under this Act in relation to buildings of special architectural or historic interest, the Secretary of State shall compile lists of such buildings, or approve, with or without modifications, such lists compiled by other persons or bodies of persons, and may amend any list so compiled or approved.

(2) In considering whether to include a building in a list compiled or approved under this section, the Secretary of State may take into account not only the building itself but also—

(a) any respect in which its exterior contributes to the architectural or historic interest of any group of buildings of which it forms part; and

(b) the desirability of preserving, on the ground of its architectural or historic interest, any feature of the building consisting of a man-made object or structure fixed to the building or forming part of the land and comprised within the curtilage of the building.

(3) Before compiling or approving, with or without modifications, any list under this section, or amending any list thereunder the Secretary of State shall consult with such persons or bodies of persons as appear to him appropriate as having special knowledge of, or interest in, buildings of architectural or historic interest.

(4) As soon as may be after any list has been compiled or approved under this section, or any amendments of such a list have been made, a copy of so much of the list as relates to any county borough, London borough or county district, or of so much of the amendments as relates thereto, as the case may be, certified by or on behalf of the Secretary of State to be a true copy thereof, shall be deposited with the clerk of the council of that borough or district, and also, where that council is not the local planning authority, with the clerk of the local planning authority.

(5) A copy of anything required by subsection (4) of this section to be deposited with the clerk of a London borough shall be deposited also with the clerk of the Greater London Council.

(6) Any copy deposited under subsection (4) of this section shall be registered in the register of local land charges in such manner as may be prescribed by rules made for the purposes of this section under section 15(6) of the [1925 c. 22.] Land Charges Act 1925 by the proper officer of the council of the county borough, London borough or county district.

(7) As soon as may be after the inclusion of any building in a list under this section, whether on the compilation or approval of the list or by the amendment thereof, or as soon as may be after any such list has been amended by the exclusion of any building therefrom, the council of the county borough, London borough or county district in whose area the building is situated, on being informed of the fact by the Secretary of State, shall serve a notice in the prescribed form on every owner and occupier of the building, stating that the building has been included in, or excluded from, the list, as the case may be.

(8) The Secretary of State shall keep available for public inspection, free of charge at reasonable hours and at a convenient place, copies of all lists and amendments of lists compiled, approved or made by him under this section ; and every authority with whose clerk copies of any list or amendments are deposited under this section shall similarly keep available copies of so much of any such list or amendment as relates to buildings within their area.

(9) In this Act " listed building" means a building which is for the time being included in a list compiled or approved by the Secretary of State under this section; and, for the purposes of the provisions of this Act relating to listed buildings and building preservation notices, any object or structure fixed to a building, or forming part of the land and comprised within the curtilage of a building, shall be treated as part of the building.

(10) Every building which immediately before 1st January 1969 was subject to a building preservation order under Part III of the Act of 1962 but was not then included in a list compiled or approved under section 32 of that Act, shall be deemed to be a listed building; but the Secretary of State may at any time direct, in the case of any building, that this subsection shall no longer apply to it and the council of the county borough, London borough or county district in whose area the building is situated, on being notified of the Secretary of State's direction, shall give notice of it to the owner and occupier of the building.

(11) Before giving a direction under subsection (10) of this section in relation to a building, the Secretary of State shall consult with the local planning authority and with the owner and the occupier of the building.