The Duke of Westminster, one of Britain’s biggest landowners, has criticised strict planning rules affecting upgrades to historic homes.
Hugh Grosvenor, who is Britain’s 14th-richest person with a fortune approaching £10 billion, owns 1,750 listed buildings as part of a property empire that includes some of London’s most impressive period buildings in Mayfair and Belgravia.
Many require essential updating, not least for energy purposes.
In the report Retrofit or Ruin by Capital Economics, the Duke’s Grosvenor property company criticises “slow, complex and inconsistent rules” that risk leaving England’s 350,000 listed buildings “uninhabitable, unaffordable and ultimately redundant”.
It calls on the government to simplify the planning system to upgrade freezing buildings in need of insulation and heat pumps.
Grosvenor, who inherited his title and Grosvenor Group estate covering 300 acres of prime central London in 2016, suggests a national listed building consent order which would automatically permit moves to improve a home’s energy status – not significant alterations – to speed up the process as thousands of buildings are in need of retrofitting.
Tor Burrows, the chief sustainability officer at Grosvenor, said, in comments first published by The Times: “Historic buildings only survive if they can adapt. If they are cold, expensive to run and difficult to upgrade they risk falling into disuse. Once that happens heritage is lost.”
The report found only one in three of England's retrofit applications were resolved within the required eight-week time frame, despite 93 per cent eventually gaining approval.
Buildings are “listed” – given specific legal protection – by Historic England if they are of special architectural or historic interest. Once it is listed, alterations that may affect a property's special interest must be managed through the planning process. The buildings are graded either I, II* or II depending on their level of importance.
Carrying out work to a listed building without consent can be a criminal offence. However, definitions can be vague and interpretation can vary between local authorities.
The government is currently consulting on a revised National Planning Policy Framework, which would cover listed building status.
A permitted development rule for energy efficiency, Grosvenor suggests, would reduce red tape, delays and costs as part of a “natural evolution” for older buildings. It would cover changes such as draught-proofing, double glazing, insulation and replacing gas boilers.
“Many [properties] initially had coal chutes. Then they were retrofitted to put in gas boilers. And now the next stage of that journey is to put in heat pumps,” Ms Burrows said. As a requirement of sale, each home in England must have an energy performance certificate, with many older buildings inevitably ranking poorly.
Lindsay Cuthill, co-founder of upmarket estate agent Blue Book Agency, said listed homes have their “complexities”, but can carry a premium. Often changes can be made once the rules are understood.
He told The National: “The important thing is knowing what the listing covers and what it does not. For example, the original facade, sash windows, fireplaces and staircases are often protected, while more recent additions such as kitchens, bathrooms or even certain extensions may not fall under the same restrictions. This means there is often more scope for updating and improving than people first assume.”
He said listed properties that have already been upgraded carry a premium “because the hard work has been done and the buyer avoids the uncertainty of navigating the process themselves”. Properties requiring major modernisation or permissions are proving far more challenging to sell because of rising costs to do such projects, he said.
The listing regime can be crucial to retaining a building and to an area’s character, according to Becky Fatemi, executive partner at Sotheby’s International Realty UK. She said conservation areas are one of the reasons prime central London “still looks and feels so special”.
“From Eaton Square to Chester Terrace, you’re buying into streets that have been carefully protected for generations – and that kind of consistency is priceless at the top end of the market. Buyers aren’t just paying for bricks and mortar; they’re investing in a neighbourhood that won’t suddenly be ruined by a flashy extension or bad planning.
“But with that charm comes a lot of control. Conservation rules can be surprisingly strict – even repainting a door or changing window frames often needs permission. And it’s not just the obvious things. We’ve seen buyers caught out by planning rules around security cameras, gates, even exterior lighting – all the things you’d expect to install without question in a £10 million-plus home.”
“Still, get it right, and these homes don’t just retain their value – they become part of London’s story. And for many, that’s what true luxury is: owning something timeless, in a place that doesn’t change overnight.”
A government spokesman said: “We’re consulting on proposals for clearer planning rules which will make it easier to improve the energy efficiency of historic and listed buildings. We’re also encouraging councils to use their existing powers to speed up work on local listed buildings when needed.”
