Records by borough
| Borough | Records | Per 1,000 households |
|---|---|---|
| Wirral | 736 | 5.1 |
| Sefton | 568 | 4.6 |
| St Helens | 151 | 1.9 |
| Halton | 129 | 2.3 |
| Knowsley | 105 | 1.6 |
| Liverpool (comparison) | 1,569 | 7.6 |
Each record is an entry on the national list, which may be a single house, a whole terrace, a church, a war memorial or a boundary wall. The count shows how much protected fabric a borough has, not how many listed homes. Wirral and Sefton together hold 77% of the five boroughs' records. Liverpool, shown for reference, has more than any of them.
Why permitted development stops at the list
Class G excludes a listed building and its curtilage, the land and outbuildings that go with it. A unit on the house, on a garage within the grounds or in the garden of a listed villa is equally outside permitted development. The route is a planning application to the council and, where the work touches the building's special architectural or historic interest, listed building consent. Doing the work without consent is an offence, so it is worth settling before anything is ordered.
A house next door to a listed building, but outside its curtilage, keeps its Class G rights. The listed building's setting may still matter if anything else on that house needs an application.
Designing around the building
- The unit: placed out of view of the principal elevations, ideally against a later extension or a garden wall that is not itself listed.
- The pipe route: through existing openings or later fabric where possible, not new cores through stonework, brick detailing or panelling.
- Inside: radiators sized and placed to suit historic rooms, and a cylinder where it does not disturb original joinery or floors.
- Insulation: breathable materials suited to solid walls and lime plaster, because the wrong insulation can trap damp.
- Ground source: trenches and boreholes kept clear of the building's setting and any buried remains.
A sensible order of work
- Confirm the listing and read the list entry, which describes what is special about the building.
- Ask the council about pre-application advice from its conservation officer.
- Commission a heat-loss survey for the building as it is, with its thick walls, high ceilings and older windows.
- Choose an installer who has fitted heat pumps in listed buildings and can show the result.
- Submit the planning and listed building consent applications with drawings and a heritage statement.
Grants for listed homes
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme does not exclude listed buildings. Once permission is granted, an MCS certified installer can claim the standard £7,500 in the usual way. Allow for the extra time the applications take when you plan.
Where it matters most
Wirral and Sefton have the most records, about 5.1 and 4.6 per 1,000 households, so owners of older houses there should check the list first. In St Helens, Knowsley and Halton the records are fewer, between 1.6 and 2.3 per 1,000 households, but an older house can still be listed. Conservation areas are a separate protection, covered on the planning rules page.
Listed homes and the Warm Homes: Local Grant
A listed home can still qualify for the Warm Homes: Local Grant if the household and the EPC rating meet the rules. The scheme's own assessment chooses the measures, and in a listed building that assessment has to allow for consent: external wall insulation, new windows or a unit on a principal elevation are unlikely to be approved. Mention the listing at the first contact, so the survey is planned around it.
Listing and conservation areas together
Many listed buildings stand inside conservation areas. Where both apply, the listing decides the matter, because it removes permitted development altogether. Where only the conservation area applies, Class G still works, with the extra rule that nothing may face the road. Check both maps before planning anything on an older house in Wirral or Sefton. The council's planning team can confirm which applies to a particular address.