Buildings at Risk

Image: Buildings at Risk

Listed Buildings At Risk

A key element of Cadw’s heritage regeneration activity is action related to heritage assets in a deteriorating condition.  We have been working to identify the number and type of listed buildings at risk in Wales. This information will be used by local authorities and Cadw to inform future strategies, including grant giving.  

All local authorities in Wales have registers of their ‘at risk’ listed buildings and Cadw has funded a number of authorities to review and update them.  A summary of the position across Wales was published in 2008. This estimates that around 3,000 listed buildings are at risk:10 per cent of the total number of listed buildings in Wales. The information in Wales covers all grades of listed building and is more advanced than the equivalent records in other UK countries. 

The 2008 summary shows the position across all of Wales and in Spatial Plan areas. Trends are shown, broken down by type of building, rate of decline with details of condition and occupancy.  It also gives details of those buildings considered to be vulnerable to becoming at risk.  An update to include 2010 data is in hand for 2011.   Comparing the data will enable us to see changes not only in the numbers of listed buildings at risk but also in the percentage of listed buildings in a stable or improving position, a key performance indicator in our Programme for Government.

Cadw proposes to commission a regular programme of 5-yearly surveys to feed into an all-Wales listed buildings at risk register, publically available on line.  It is envisaged that a tender exercise for this will be undertaken in 2012.  

Until the online all-Wales register is available, information on buildings at risk is available from local planning authorities.  Local authorities or historic environment organisations can apply to be ‘approved users’ to view data for their area on an interim stand alone web facility operated on Cadw’s behalf.  Please contact Cadw if you want more details of this. 

Local planning authorities have powers for listed buildings in their area – they can serve statutory notices if they are concerned about the condition of a listed building. Cadw is able to offer grant for repairs to listed buildings at risk.