The Curtilage of Listed Buildings in Northern Ireland

The curtilage of a house or other building is the land immediately surrounding it, including any closely associated buildings and structures associated with the main building.

Each listed building is registered in the statutory charges register in Land Registry. This is as an address and a map (the listing map) which shows the structures that are treated as part of the listed building and therefore of interest to the Historic Environment Division (HED). The ‘pink wash’ shows planning officers the immediate area around a building in which special consideration of curtilage and setting are required. Examples of this can be found at the link below in the ‘Guidance’ section.

The following considerations may be of assistance in determining what is included within the curtilage of a building;

• the historical independence of the building
• the physical layout of the principal building and other buildings
• the ownership of the buildings now and at the time of listing
• whether the structure forms part of the land at present
• the use and function of the buildings, and whether a building is ancillary or subordinate to the principal building

Guidance

Guidance on curtilage and when to apply for listed building consent can be found in the Historic England document;

• Historic England: Listed Buildings and Curtilage*

More useful links

For more information, please see Listed Buildings.

*It should be noted that when reading the English Heritage document, the date which defines curtilage is defined in English Listed Building legislation. Where the document reads ‘before July 1948’ it should instead be read as ‘before 1st October 1973’ when referring to the curtilage of listed buildings Northern Ireland.