This month Edinburgh Live will be casting a light on the city's historic buildings which are in danger of falling into ruin or disrepair.
Earlier we highlighted Stop the rot: these are all the historic buildings that are currently at risk in Edinburgh which are on Historic Environment Scotland's Buildings At Risk register.
Many of these are referred to as "listed" buildings - it's a phrase which is often used in relation to properties but what does it refer to exactly?
What is listing?
Measures to protect buildings of historic interest began in 1882, and the system of listing started in Scotland in 1957. There are around 47,000 listed buildings in Scotland
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) explain that not every structure with a historic element to it can be listed - they must be "special."
Stop the rot: these are all the historic buildings that are currently at risk in Edinburgh
They say: "Listed buildings are managed through the planning system, through listed building consent, so that any changes to them have to be carefully considered.
"The term ‘building’ can include a great variety of other man-made structures such as fountains, sundials, statues and bridges.
"Many buildings are of interest architecturally or historically but, when considering a building for listing, this interest must be ‘special.'"
A, B or C - what's the difference?
There are three categories of listed building in Scotland, A, B and C. All are protected equally in the planning system and the categories don't have a legal weight.
Category A buildings are:
• of national or international importance,
either architecturally or historically;
• largely unaltered; and
• outstanding examples of a particular
period, style or building type.
(Category A accounts for around 8% of the total number of listed buildings in Scotland.)
Category B buildings are:
• of regional or more than local importance;
• may have been altered; and
• are major examples of a particular period, style or building type. (Category B accounts for around 50% of the total number of listed buildings in Scotland.)
Category C buildings are simple traditional buildings which group well with others in categories A and B, or are:
• of local importance;
• lesser examples of a period, style, or building type; and
• as they were originally constructed or only moderately altered. (Category C accounts for around 42% of the total number of listed buildings in Scotland.)
How are they protected?
It's a criminal offence to to "demolish, alter materially or extend" a listed building without achieving listed building consent.
The only way a listed building can be demolished or altered is with the consent of the planning authority.
Consent for demolition will not be grant unless the applicant can show there's no other option.
This became an issue during the ongoing debate over the future of the Royal High School building on Calton Hill - as developers plans required demolition of parts of the building.
HES say: "Listed building consent is the mechanism by which planning authorities ensure that any changes to listed buildings are appropriate and sympathetic to their character.
"It helps to protect what is a rare and unique resource."
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We'll be bringing you more on this topic throughout the month of May; please get in touch if there is any piece of Edinburgh's heritage you feel concerned about. You can email news@edinburghlive.co.uk.
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