Looking after a period building in Southport

Southport is full of beautiful old buildings, from Lord Street’s Victorian shops and verandahs to grand villas converted into flats. Looking after them well protects their character and your home.

Is your building in a conservation area?

Sefton has 25 conservation areas. In Southport they include Lord Street, Promenade, Hesketh Road, Churchtown Village and North Meols. In Birkdale there are Birkdale Village, Birkdale Park, West Birkdale and Gloucester Road.

Six Sefton conservation areas are on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. Four of them are in Southport and Birkdale: Lord Street, Promenade, North Meols and West Birkdale. Sefton Council publishes advisory leaflets for its conservation areas, which are well worth a read.

What needs permission

• Listed buildings. You need listed building consent before demolishing a listed building, or altering or extending it in a way that affects its character. Doing the work without consent is a criminal offence.
• Demolition. Demolishing an unlisted building in a conservation area needs planning permission. Doing it without permission is an offence.
• Trees. In a conservation area, you must give the council six weeks’ notice before most work on a tree with a trunk of 75mm or more across, measured 1.5m above the ground. This applies even if there is no Tree Preservation Order.
• Flats and small changes. Householder permitted development rights don’t apply to flats, and some rights are more limited in conservation areas. So a change a house owner could make freely may need planning permission for a block. Your lease may also need the landlord’s consent. See our guide to alterations.

Repairs that respect the building

Historic England’s advice, in brief:

• Keep the rain out first. If the roof needs repairing, act quickly.
• Value your slates. Slates can last longer than any other roof covering before they need repair.
• Repair windows where you can. Repairs usually cost less, keep the building’s character, usually don’t need consent and are more sustainable. Replacement should be a last resort.
• Choose lime, not cement. Hard cement mortar holds moisture in old brick and stone. A weaker, porous lime mortar helps walls dry out.
• Look after cast iron. Cast-iron and lead gutters and downpipes can, with maintenance and repainting, last far longer than modern replacements.

Lord Street’s verandahs

Lord Street’s cast-iron and glass verandahs once joined up into a covered boulevard along the seaward side. Sefton Council’s verandah guide, written with advice from Historic England, notes that a blocked gutter on one verandah can cause problems for its neighbours. If your building shares a verandah, it pays to agree upkeep with the buildings either side.

Insuring an older building

Planning rules may require damage to a listed building to be put right like for like. Historic England notes this can mean more comprehensive insurance than a modern building would need. RICS recommends that the rebuilding cost used for insurance is adjusted for inflation every year and fully reviewed every three years, or sooner after major changes.

How we can help

We’re based on Hoghton Street, a short walk from Lord Street, and we love Southport’s older buildings. We’d be glad to help you look after yours. Book a call back or ask for a proposal.