Lunch Meeting - Emilie Ravenscroft - NELC Conservation Officer

Emilie Ravenscroft - NELC Conservation Officer

Emilie presented her role in NELC as a conservation officer, responsible of the management of North East Lincolnshire heritage. Covering 16 conservation areas, 221 listed buildings, 11 scheduled monuments and 1 registered Park and Garden, the workload is quite significant.

Acting as a planning consultant, she is responsible for carrying out appraisals, enforcement and for regeneration.

So what is a listed building? - A “Listed Building” is a building , object or structure that has been judged to be of national importance isn terms of architectural or historical interest.

Who decides which buildings are listed? - Anyone can propose a building to be included as part of the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic interest. However, the ultimate decision lies with the Department for Culture, Media and Sports, under the planning Act 1990.

The extent of protection covers the whole of the building including the interior. Objects, structures affixed to the building may also be protected.  It is a criminal offence not to seek consent to carry out works on a building under protection - it is always best to consult and discuss with NELC. The consequences of carrying out work can be quite severe (Imprisonment not exceeding 6 months, a fine not exceeding £20,000 or both! 

Emilie stated that very few cases get to this stage, and consultation processes are normally very constructive and successful. 

Rotarian John Tuke gave a vote of thanks on behalf of the club.