Listed Building Consent for a rewire?

[DaveBlair855]

Dear all,

Next on my to-do list for the new purchase (a 400 year old cottage in Kent, grade two listed) is the wiring. The short version is that it needs a complete upgrade- just don't ask what the upstairs mains cable is currently wired with...

My question is this- do I need to ask for Listed Building Consent for this? The building has existing wiring circa 1975, but is not well done and currently insufficient for even our fairly modest power needs. I would anticipate some conduiting will be required and since it would be out of keeping with the rest of the character of the property to have PVC conduiting snaking all over the walls, we would be looking to bury this in the walls themselves, which are mostly brick and masonry, making good with lime wash/render as appropriate.

There is also a twin and earth cable from the exterior feeding power to the workshop, which will need armouring and burying as it is currently strung along a cable, washing line style! I expect this will require an exterior junction box and weatherproof armouring which will run down an exterior wall.

Any thoughts or experiences welcome.

 

[Nemesis]

It all depends - I would suggest the only person who can answer this is your conservation officer (assuming you have one)

In some properties channelling into historic plaster would damage historic fabric, and in that case external conduit (and indeed the same applies to central heating pipes) is seen as a reversible and sensible solution.

 

[DaveBlair855]

Thanks for that- we have provisionally run this past our Conservation Officer, who rather helpfully said "It depends!". I'm sure I'm generalising, but they seem to delight in being evasive and non-committal.

 

[Nemesis]

I don't think it's 'delight' - I think until you have the details of what you intend to do and formally apply, then no firm decision can be given.

 

[DaveBlair855]

Am sure you're right, but I can't help but sometimes feel that the complexity of the legislation gives them excellent justification for woolly answers!

Thanks anyway- will get a schedule of works drawn up and put in an application. Not keen on exterior conduiting though....

 

[Nemesis]

Well, in some cases it's better than damage to the plaster and walls.

We are only custodians etc.

But it's all a balancing act for the CO, who has to be pragmatic at times, and at others has to have the historic interest of the building foremost.

I'd think carefully about what you want to do, rather than a general question, then ask for an informal disussion when you have more details.

 

[Penners]

I can't help but sometimes feel that the complexity of the legislation gives them excellent justification for woolly answers!

I think that's a bit hard. The CO's job is to ensure that you (and the rest of us listed building owners) don't destroy historic fabric. "Rewiring" could mean popping a bit of surface-mounted conduit into insignificant corners, or it could mean ripping up floorboards, hacking into walls, and so on.

So - it depends.... ! :wink:

 

[Pford75]

I think the best advice is to decide exactly what you want to do....where the sockets and switches will be mounted and what this will mean in terms of cable routing etc.

If you can present the CO with something which demonstrates that you have clearly thought through what is involved and what steps you plan to take to minimise the impact on the structure of the building, they will be (in my experience) more forgiving on the consent front.

For example, if you can demonstrate that it is possible to 'stitch' the cable inside a cavity wall rather than chase the entire wall or that you can route cable behind cornice etc. without damaging, or that you have managed your cable runs to minimise damage to joists etc. then it is clear to the CO that you are taking as many sensible steps as possible to conserve the fabric. Doesn't guarantee that LBC won't be reuqired, but it's a step in the right direction.

Finally, have you considered that applying for LBC could enable you to reclaim the VAT? If the work is a straight replacement of existing wiring, then this is not likely....but if you can demonstrate that it is substaintially new work (eg. new sockets and lights where none previously existed, or that you are installing new ring mains) then the work can be 0% VAT rated (but only if you have LBC)

 

[DaveBrigg]

We had no problem with getting informal consent for rewiring - the existing bodge was a fire hazard. Depending on the construction of your house, it may be possible to route wires through internal gaps in walls without the need for chasing. Our electricians used flexible rods to feed the wires from the attic down to the light switches; the choice of where sockets are to go could be made partly on the basis of how accessible they are.
As Pford75 suggests, demonstrating to the CO the thought you have put in to minimising the damage, and the care you will take, will go a long way.
If the whole house is being rewired it should be just as easy to have your armoured cable fed from somewhere near ground level, with the possibility of it then being routed to emerge outside below ground level. Obviously this depends on the flooring; having no foundations at all is also an advantage. The junction box does not need to be external, this will depend on whether or not a discreet indoor locaion can be found. I can't remember what depth was needed, but we had to line the trench with sand and put a length of plastic warning tape a couple of inches above the cable in case of over enthusiastic gardeners.

 

[Cloudscape]

Our electrician came up with a way of avoiding taking lots of cables through sometimes very constricted routes. Our house is quite long front to back and the point where the power comes in is toward the rear. He installed three fuseboxes for the house, dividing the wiring into front, middle and rear. That way, he could run 6mm cable (I think) from the source to each box and have three separate starting points for each zone's power and light cables.