Listed building conversion advice...

[Poonster]

Hello all,

This is my first post on here and I’m a bit of an amateur when it comes to tis sort of thing, so go easy on me! I know there are lots of similar posts on here, but I'm trying to get an almost definitive bit of advice so many apologies if this looks like well-trodden ground!


I’m essentially after a bit of advice: I’m looking at buying a Grade II listed, 4-storey house (Freehold) that is currently being used as flats. There is a (non-contained) flat on each of the upper 3 floors, with 2 self-contained flats in the basement. From the owner, the upper floors were converted in to flats in the 1930s, prior to his family’s ownership in the 1940s. As far as I’m aware, there is no supporting documentation for this. The basement was converted in the 1970s, with a grant from the council apparently, and there is documentation for this (though I’m not sure this includes official acknowledgement of conformation with building regs).

The flats have separate utility bills and council tax bills, so I think they are officially recognised as separate dwellings by the council, though will confirm this.

I’m planning on converting the upper floors back in to a single dwelling, for family use. This involves some minor structural work, the installation of a new kitchen (in to an old bedroom) and 2 new bathrooms (one in to an existing kitchen/bathroom – weird combo, I know – and one in to a small bedroom). I was going to leave the basement as flats for some additional income.

Because the property is listed, I’m definitely going to need Planning Permission and Listed Building’s Consent. My questions are:

- Do you think there will be difficulty in obtaining permission to turn the property back in to a house, or for the entire project?
- Do I need to be concerned about the lack of paperwork from the original conversion, back in the 1930s?
- Do I need to be concerned about any aspect of the later basement conversion?
- Do I need to consider any form of indemnity insurance?
- Are there any other legal/regulatory issues I should be concerned about?

I haven’t yet contacted the council about any of this as I don’t want to alert them to anything that may jeopardise my chances of getting any insurance!

Obviously, I will get a full structural survey and architectural help, but I’d be grateful for any expert opinions that I may get on here!

Many thanks in advance!