Conservation

Listed Buildings 

A 'listed building' is a building, objects or structure that has been judged to be of national historical or architectural interest. When buildings are 'listed' they are placed on a statutory list compiled by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on the advice given by Historic England. There are three grades of listing:

• Grade I are those of exceptional interest
• Grade II* are particularly important buildings of more than special interest
• Grade II are of special interest

There are over 500 listed buildings in Boston. These are identified on the National Heritage List for England which is administered by Historic England. You can find out if a property is listed on their website.

The Council is responsible for considering applications to demolish listed buildings or for any alteration or extension which would affect the character and/or setting of the listed building.

If you have any queries about works to a listed building you may submit a pre-application enquiry. Information can be found on our Pre-Application Advice page. You should provide as much detail regarding proposed works as possible.  Please note that changes such as decoration may also require consent.  Please check before carrying out work.

Conservation Areas

Conservation areas are 'areas of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance'. This definition is set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation) Act 1990. We designate, review and prepare policies for conservation areas and, within the Borough, there are 11 designated conservation areas.

We have produced three conservation area appraisals.

Within a Conservation Area the planning authority has extra controls over demolition, minor developments, and the protection of trees.

If you have any queries about development within a Conservation Area you may submit a pre-application enquiry. Further information may be found on our Pre-Application Advice page.

Scheduled Ancient Monuments

A scheduled ancient monument is a nationally important site or monument which is legally protected through the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The word 'monument' covers the whole range of archaeological sites. Scheduled monuments are not always ancient, or visible above ground. Scheduling is the only legal protection specifically for archaeological sites. Historic England is the lead organisation in identifying sites which should be scheduled.

There are 16 scheduled ancient monuments in our area.

Grant Schemes - Boston Townscape Heritage Project

Boston Borough Council is offering grants to private owners of historic properties within the market place and the lanes surrounding it.

To discover more about this and which buildings are eligible for grant aid, please see the Boston Townscape Heritage Initiative page.

Historic Environment Record

The Historic Environment Record (HER) is a record of all well known archaeology in Lincolnshire.