Heritage Office Publishes First Heritage at Risk Register and Arrangements for Consent

The Heritage Office of the Velocity Interoperability Network today published its first Heritage at Risk Register. Of the eighteen entries on the Register of Protected Sites, five are recorded as at risk on account of their condition: the Northgate Ramparts and Riverside Crane No. 3 at the highest priority, the Old Telegraph Office and the Ferry Steps at the second, and the Westbrook Mill Race and Weir at the third. For each, the Office has agreed with the responsible member organisation the action to be taken and the date by which it is to be reviewed.

The Office also confirmed the arrangements for consent for works. From Monday 7 September 2026, works that would affect the character of a listed building, disturb a scheduled monument, alter the appearance of a conservation area or change the layout of a registered landscape require the written consent of the Office before they begin. Applications are made by email and decided within eight weeks for Grade II listed buildings, conservation areas and registered landscapes, and within thirteen weeks for Grade I listed buildings and scheduled monuments. Routine maintenance that does not alter a site does not require consent.

Twelve requests for consent were received under the interim arrangements during the transition period; nine were determined and three are carried into the new procedure. Urgent works to make a site safe may proceed without prior consent provided the Office is notified within five working days. Full guidance is set out on the Consent for Works page of this site, and the Heritage at Risk Register on the Heritage at Risk page.