Listed buildings and conservation areas
The report places a pilaster, the shopfront cornice and a listed front in Wales the survey cannot consent in one paragraph. Which of those were inspected, and which were merely named?
The pilaster and the shopfront cornice could be inspected by looking. The listed front in Wales, and any consent to alter it, were named, not granted. A pilaster is the shallow column at the edge of the shopfront. The cornice is the projecting moulding across the top. Cadw is the listing body for Wales. The survey can describe cracks, open joints or lost detail in what it saw. It cannot consent to work on a listed front, and it has not done so. The paragraph records a look, and a limit. It has not decided that the front may be changed.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Shopfronts carry a lot of the special interest of a listed commercial building. Looking records rot in timber, open joints, a leaning pilaster or a cracked cornice. It does not separate listed fabric from later additions, and it does not give permission to cut back, replace or uncover anything. Consent is a Cadw and local-authority process. The survey has not started it. What was inspected is the visible shopfront. What was named is the listing and the absence of consent.
Tell the solicitor the front is described as listed in Wales and that the survey grants no consent. Ask them to check the list entry and whether any consent already exists for the shopfront. A conservation specialist can advise on the pilaster and cornice if you plan work, which this report does not authorise. Do not treat a condition note as permission to alter the front. The survey has looked, and it has stopped short of any approval.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What condition did you actually see on the pilaster and the cornice?
- Did you confirm the listing, or only report that the front is described as listed?
- Have you made clear that no consent comes from this survey?
What are the typical next steps?
- Keep the pilaster and cornice notes separate from consent.
- Ask the solicitor to check the Cadw list entry for the front.
- Do not read the paragraph as permission to alter the shopfront.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the cornice is cracked, has consent for repair been given?
No. A crack in the shopfront cornice is a condition note from looking. It is not Cadw consent, and the survey cannot give consent for a listed front in Wales. Repair, like any other change, stays outside this report. The solicitor and the authority deal with whether consent is needed. The survey has not decided that question.
Does a plain pilaster mean that part is unimportant?
No. The survey can describe a pilaster as plain or damaged and still not rank its historic interest. Listing is a designation, and this visit does not rewrite it or consent to change. A simple-looking column can still sit on a listed front. The note is about what was seen, not about what may be removed.