The DCMS has recently published the updated ‘Principles of selection for listed buildings‘ which sets out the statutory criteria and general principles applied by the Secretary of State when deciding whether a building is of special architectural or historic interest. The selected buildings will be then included in the list compiled after the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.
The following criteria are used by the DCMS to assess the buildings’ importance:
- Architectural interest;
- Historic interest;
- Group value;
- Fixtures and features of a building and curtilage buildings;
- Character or appearance of conservation areas.
The assessment is based on general principles including: age and rarity (the more ancient is a building, the more is likely to be included in the list), aesthetic merit, significance and representativeness, national interest and state of repair.