24 CONTEXT 188 : JUNE 2026 also made an LLBCO to allow the installation of solar PV panels on Grade II and most Grade II* buildings, subject to a range of conditions intended to avoid harm to heritage significance. In 2023 the borough set up an LLBCO focused on windows for all its Grade II listed buildings, with the dual aim of improving energy performance and ensuring interventions are sensitive to heritage values. The order provides consent for the following works: • internal secondary glazing; • replacement of existing windows with doubleglazed windows or replacement of single-glazed panes with insulated glazing units in extensions to a listed building constructed after the date of listing (and with LBC); and • replacement of existing windows with doubleglazed windows or replacement of single-glazed panes with insulated glazing units where the window was installed in a listed building after the date of listing (and with LBC). Further, the RBKC recently consulted residents and businesses on an LLBCO specific to the Grade II listed buildings in the Queen’s Gate, Pembridge, and Holland Park Conservation Areas, where there is a largely standard historic window type. The order, which came into force in March 2026, allows owners to install doubleglazed windows within existing timber frames for 1/1 and 2/2 sashes without the need to apply for listed building consent. This is provided that specific conditions are met, including demonstrating that the existing glass is not historic, hand-blown glass. National listed building consent orders Historic England has worked in partnership with the Canal & River Trust and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to develop an NLBCO, as Nigel Crowe writes on page 25. The order contains a methodology for standard works to provide a consistent, streamlined approach to management of waterway heritage, such as bridges and locks. The intention is that the Canal & River Trust can care for its assets more efficiently and effectively. The order is in draft and will require Parliamentary approval. The LLBCOs in operation are providing a growing testing ground for assessing the merits of other types of consent orders at a national level, particularly for low-risk but high-impact energy efficiency works. Clearly, setting up a national mechanism for such works would not be straightforward.The variety of building types, materials and architectural details to be found across the country makes it challenging. It would need to be demonstrated that the secretary of state has discharged the legal duty of special regard to the listed buildings covered by the order and, to be worthwhile, any such order would need to avoid any requirement to discharge conditions separately. However, the idea is worth consideration. Historic England’s Advice Note (HEAN) 18 Adapting Historic Buildings for Energy and Carbon Efficiency identifies low-risk interventions to listed buildings that would normally be considered acceptable in heritage policy terms and still deliver real energy-saving impact. Grosvenor, in its recent Retrofit or Ruin report, promotes the idea of using HEAN 18 as a template for a national order. The government referred to evidence for the enthusiasm for consent orders in its own 2024 report Adapting Historic Homes for Energy Efficiency: a review of the barriers. Historic England supports exploring any mechanism that improves the performance of the planning system. This is not simply to improve the experience for owners and applicants, but also to enable conservation officers to focus their valuable time and essential expertise on the highest-impact cases. In the right circumstances and done the right way, consent orders for listed buildings offer one potential solution. An example of a Grade II listed house in Kensington (Photo: Historic England Archive) The windows of the historic Cheyne Walk, Chelsea (Photo: Historic England Archive) Charles Smith is policy director at Historic England.
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