Councillor Josh Williams submitted the following question to the Chair of the Planning Applications Committee:

Local Listing

Reading Borough Council maintains a list of locally important buildings which are subject to more detailed planning control. That list has recently protected Grovelands Church from being demolished, and includes entries such as the Arthur Hill Swimming Baths. It's right that Reading protects its architectural heritage and culture. Could the Chair of the Committee please briefly outline the Local Listing process? Our Planning Committee confirms protection orders on trees, chooses new street names, and determines new applications based on planning matters such as Local Listings. Does the Chair agree with me that requests to add or remove buildings from this Local list should be decided by Reading's Planning Committee?

REPLY by the Chair of the Planning Applications Committee (Councillor McKenna):

Q1. Could the Chair of the Committee please briefly outline the Local Listing process?

Historic England’s advice is that local listing is a way to identify and celebrate historic buildings which enrich and enliven their area. They build a sense of place and history and are intended to highlight assets in order to ensure that they are given due consideration when change is being proposed.

Unlike national listing, Local Listing does not provide any additional legal protection for the building. However Locally Listed buildings are specifically referred to in existing and emerging local planning policy and the effect of development on their heritage significance can be controlled through the planning application process where an application is required.

The process of Locally Listing a building begins with the building being nominated. This nomination could be from a variety of different persons including a Council officer, a Councillor, a member of the public, or a local amenity group.

The current process was agreed by Cabinet on 18 February 2013 as follows “That Cabinet delegates the decision for adding buildings or structures to the List of Locally Important Buildings and Structures of local heritage significance to the Head of Planning and Building Control in consultation with the Lead Member for Regeneration, Transport and Planning.”

The Council has identified and locally listed buildings under the current procedure and there are 11 buildings currently on the list. The Council has successfully defended appeals in respect of 3 Craven Road and Pearsons Court on Northcourt Avenue, where the Inspectors accepted their local listed status.

Q2. Our Planning Committee confirms protection orders on trees, chooses new street names, and determines new applications based on planning matters such as Local Listings. Does the Chair agree with me that requests to add or remove buildings from this Local list should be decided by Reading's Planning Committee?

The current process, by operating outside the committee cycle and involving just a few key people, has shown itself to be an efficient and effective way of protecting buildings potentially at risk without taking up scarce resources.

However, following a discussion with the Lead Member for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport I can confirm that a review will be undertaken of the whole local listing process and a report brought back for discussion at Planning Applications Committee.