Listed building, stairs too steep and dangerous, planners say no. Anything we can do? Feeling low today

[Staverton]

We are about to exchange on a grade 2 listed terrace which requires complete renovation. It has the most dangerously steep stairs. The treads are just 18cm, which is 7cm less than required for current health and safety standards. With two young dc and plans to
have a 3rd there is no way we can live with them.

There are about 15 other similar cottages in the road under the same listing. Over half of them have changed the stairs. I spoke to a conservation officer on Friday, and she is coming out tomorrow to the property. She basically said no way can we change the stairs. They are stricter now, it's part of the character of the house etc etc even though listing only mentions the outside.
I could (and have) cry. We have already spent money on the solicitor, architect etc etc.

Any advice?

MoreBeta, that's very interesting.
The message I will take away is that next time I look at a listed building I will ask very detailed questions about what work has been done and whether listed building consents were obtained.

Thank you everyone for your replies. I have read and absorbed!
We did know it was listed when we offered but because loads of people have changed the stairs we naively assumed it wouldn't be a problem.
They seem especially steep because the winder at the top is very sudden so it feels like it is a sheer drop from a narrow platform -difficult to explain

Also as the landing is so small it's easy to trip coming out of the bathroom and go straight down the stairs. Sounds great doesn't it for a whopping £480k price tag.

Pendeen interesting about your challenges (and you poor thing going through it). So who has the final say if it's not the conservation officers? I wonder if there's anyway of finding out if it will pass an appeal as if it's impossible we will probably pull out

Minciepie- we have that very same idea. I will ask as a last resort but don't want to mention it to the last minute. It does cause problems with the basement though and putting stairs down there.
Thanks again.

We live in listed building with quite bonkers stairs. No two treads are the same, they go round a corner and some are barely wide enough to place a foot. To exacerbate the matter, we have no banister.

Our children have always coped perfectly well from toddlerhood on - you just get used to it.

Elderberry - I am trying to buy 2 listed buildings at the moment and am in contact with the council conservation officer as there has been a lot of correspondence on both of them so yes you are right. Do check everything and if possible get the conservation officer to look at it before you buy.

In nearly every listed building I have been in there are very clear signs of staircases, guttering, windows, walls, doors, fireplaces, cornicing having been removed/changed without permission.

Sorry to interject- but MoreBeta- is the NZ thing off then?

Sadly we will never go now. The exchange rate would have made it a really horrendous decision as we were on a special investment visa.

We still have our visa but in reality we will never use it.

I'm sorry to hear that- you had sounded so excited previously.
Glad to hear you have a new project though!

MoreBeta, does that mean you have decided it is time to buy, rather than waiting for further falls?

No hijack away. Maybe we should pull out. This is quite a good deal for the area though despite the work
Meeting planning lady today (everything crossed)

Elderberry - these are defunct commercial buildings that have been partially or wholly unoccupied for a while and in a poor state of repair.

The price of commercial buildings has already fallen by 50% in some provincial towns. I am sure residential property has to follow if the economy does not improve. If the old commercial buildings have no businesses in them, then surely the people that worked in them now have no job or earn less.

In the end residential property has to have some relationship with commercial property prices.

Oh that's interesting MoreBeta, thank you.

can someone explain to me that if The treads are just 18cm, which is 7cm less than required for current health and safety standards the current stairs are not in line with those standards how it can be enforced? seems silly to me to "have to keep" the house unsafer than it could be.

they're regulations for new builds but they don't apply retrospectively.

Staverton

The Grade of your building's Listing is important - the vast majority are 2 and the applications are dealt with by the LA.

I have had a project where an approach to the local councillor resulted in the CO changing his approach i.e. from confrontational and not willing to negotiate to something more reasonable. This was for a school project (and the adverse publicity also helped) but in your case the fact that there are plenty of precedents must count for something!

If you don't succeed with the council then you can appeal to Pickles' Empire

Good luck.

mousysantamouse

The OP problem is the opposite to this - she wants to change the staircase to the current standards but fears the CO will refuse to grant listed building consent t allow her to do so.

Ifyou are nervous, then pull out. I always think you should trust your instincts. Where I live there are 1,000 houses, and I have heard of 2 people coming a cropper in a final way through falling down stairs in the last 5 years. I am not joking.