Railway workers cottages in Crewe

The Council is consulting on 4 new Local Listed Building Consent Orders (LLBCO) for the Grade II listed former Railway Workers Cottages in Crewe. This is a pro-active and blanket grant of listed building consent, which means that owners of those listed buildings specified in the order will not have to make individual applications, but will be able to proceed with the works, provided they carry out the works as specified in the order and comply with any conditions that may be attached to it. The initiative aims to promote energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions and facilitate a grant scheme while protecting historic architecture.

Works included within the draft order but subject to specific requirements and conditions (please see the draft orders for the full details):

Replacement windows and external doors
Certain works to roofs and chimneys and rainwater goods
Relocation of loft hatch
Repointing and replacement bricks/stonework
Certain works to garden walls and gates

The LLBCO would simplify the process for a ten-year period and includes safeguards to ensure the changes respect the buildings' historic significance. The draft orders in this consultation set out more information and a list of conditions and specifications that would need to be complied with. It also includes a ‘statement of reasons’, which sets out our assessment of the likely effect of the proposed works on the special architectural or historic interest of the listed buildings to which the order would relate, and a reasoned justification for making the order.

Changes to listed buildings is a sensitive issue, and so we are particularly interested to hear whether the proposal maintains adequate protections for these heritage properties.