Locally listed buildings
Local listing is a way for the Council to identify local heritage assets and set out what about them is important. The list contains buildings and structures which are of heritage significance and contribute to the local character and distinctiveness of Hackney.
These buildings are not listed by the Secretary of State, and don’t have the same statutory protections as listed buildings. However, inclusion on the local list designates a building or structure as a heritage asset, and as such its conservation is an objective of the national planning policy framework.
The usual planning processes would apply to locally listed buildings. However, their inclusion on the list ensures that the Council knows where they are and that we take into account their heritage significance when considering planning applications that affect them.
Hackney’s local list
Hackney’s local list was adopted in 2012, but a number of buildings have been added since. The list currently has 470 entries.
Nominate a building or structure for inclusion on the list
If you would like to nominate a building or structure for consideration, please complete the nomination form and email to locallist@hackney.gov.uk, or post to: Conservation, Urban Design and Sustainability Team, 3rd Floor, 2 Hillman Street, London E8 1DY.
Inclusion criteria
Locally listed buildings are chosen based on a set of criteria for determining their heritage significance. The criteria used by the Council are based on those used in the national statutory listing process, however significance is judged on their local rather than national importance. A building must satisfy one or more of the following criteria to be eligible for local listing:
- historical interest: an association with well-known local personalities or events and/or demonstrates the borough’s history. These include buildings important to Hackney’s social history such as schools, churches, leisure and entertainment, commercial and public buildings
- architectural interest: a building that is a good example of a particular style or period, contains fine architectural features and details and may also have been designed by a well-known architect. It might exhibit a unique design or an early technological application of building materials or just be a particularly evocative example of a particular building type (eg a Victorian terrace or post-war housing)
- environmental significance: a building or feature that makes a special contribution to the environment of a street or locality by being characterful and time-honoured or locally valued. This might be part of a planned layout that has remained substantially intact (eg a terrace, square, crescent). Or it might have group value, substantiating local environmental ‘grain’ (amalgam of scale, density, verticality, materials, colours, textures) that is peculiar to the area and may include informal groups of varied and often very modest buildings
- aesthetic or artistic interest: a building, mural, or piece of street furniture or signage that attracts the eye – usually a testament to the individuality of its designer
Buildings and features can be listed either individually or as part of a group of related structures (eg an entire terrace).
For further information about what local listing means in a planning context, download our information sheet:
Gallery of locally listed buildings
