University’s listed building agreement is a first
L-R: Dr Andrew Brown (centre), Planning and Conservation Director for Heritage England in the South East, surveys Falmer House - listed grade 1 - with Penny Thompson and Prof Michael Farthing.
The Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement was signed by (L-R) Prof Michael Farthing, Vice-Chancellor; Penny Thompson, CEO of Brighton & Hove City Council; and Dr Andrew Brown, from Heritage England in the South East.
Penny Thompson (left), CEO of Brighton & Hove City Council, and Prof Michael Farthing, Vice-Chancellor, take in the architectural details of the chapel in the listed Meeting House.
A new agreement signed this week will protect the University’s unique 1960s listed buildings and streamline the planning process.
On Monday (27 April), bosses from the University of Sussex, Brighton & Hove City Council and Historic England (formerly English Heritage) signed a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement (LBHPA) - the second such agreement in the country and the first involving a university.
The council – whose Economic Development and Culture committee approved the agreement at a meeting in March - is using new legislation giving them the power to make LBHPAs to manage alterations to major listed buildings or groups of listed buildings in the same ownership.
During their visit to campus for the signing this week, representatives from both Brighton & Hove City Council and Historic England enjoyed a tour of some of the buildings designed by the celebrated architect, Sir Basil Spence, which include one Grade l building (Falmer House) and seven Grade II* listed buildings.
Dr Andrew Brown, Planning and Conservation Director for Historic England in the South East, said the signing was “a genuinely historic occasion”.
He added: “This agreement is a big step forward and clears the way for a schedule of on-going works to be drawn up.
“The LBHPA removes the ‘them and us’ situation and gives the comfort of a team working towards the same goal to protect the nation’s heritage for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.”
The new agreement means that Listed Building Consent for general or repeated work will now be granted without the need for individual applications – cutting red tape and saving time and money.
This includes work to repair or replace the external fabric of buildings, internal fixtures and finishes to upgrade teaching facilities and works to improve safety and accessibility.
The agreement sets conditions to ensure that work is carried out consistently using materials in keeping with buildings. It will run for 10 years, subject to periodic review.
In the last few days the significance of the agreement has been recognised with the award to the University of an international Green Apple Award.
The awards are organised by the Green Organisation and supported by the Environment Agency, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Chartered Institution for Wastes Management and other independent bodies.
Sussex competed against more than 200 other nominations in the Built Environment & Architectural Heritage category, and on 29 June estates staff Martin Chalker and Jayne Townsend will be presented with a trophy and certificate at a ceremony in London.
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