Listed buildings
Many buildings are of interest, architecturally or historically. Those which are of special architectural or historic interest are listed by Historic Environment Scotland under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.
It is an offence to carry out any unauthorised works for the demolition or alteration or extension of a listed building in any way which would affect its character.
If you are the owner of a listed building, it means you need to apply for listed building consent to make changes that will potentially affect its character. Listing isn’t intended to prevent change, it simply ensures the special interest of a building is protected through the planning process. Find out more about what it means to be the owner of a listed building.
Check if your building is listed
The statutory list of listed buildings is managed and maintained by Historic Environment Scotland. You can search the list and find out if your property is listed.
Listed building consent
In Aberdeenshire there are approximately 3500 listed buildings which contribute significantly to creating Aberdeenshire’s distinctive character and sense of place.
Listed building consent is the mechanism by which the council manages changes to listed buildings to make sure their special character is retained. Listed buildings are protected in their entirety including works which would impact on the exterior, the interior, those structures within the curtilage and the setting of the listed building.
You need to apply for listed building consent and potentially planning permission. If you are unsure what permissions are required, you can contact the planning team or alternatively you can check by using form wizard on ePlanning website. Decisions on listed building consent applications are guided by the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) and the policies laid out in the Aberdeenshire Local Development Plan 2023.
We also take into account Historic Environment Scotland’s best practice guidance called Managing Change in The Historic Environment. This is a series of guidance notes about making changes to the historic environment and each note looks at a different theme.