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UK tourism and holiday accommodation is one of the key property sectors that has shown the greatest resilience to the economic challenges of Covid-19 and the post-Brexit landscape. During 2020 the UK holiday market experienced very high levels of demand and also increased interest from landowners/investors looking towards property markets that will recover quickly.
Demand for staycations has surged and we have seen new demographics entering the UK holiday market, particularly semi-retirement and retirement groups seeking to invest in UK holiday property rather than property overseas.
All this, coupled with positive planning policies and encouraging messages from government regarding tourism and sustainable development, provides exciting potential opportunities for landowners looking to diversify their assets – and converting unused historic outbuildings into holiday let accommodation could be a good option.
Although listed buildings have built-in authenticity and the all-important Instagram appeal, they come with a greater degree of scrutiny. As such, successful conversions can require a number of specialists and a robust budget. The more preparation undertaken up front, the fewer conditions are likely to be imposed by the local planning authority.
Priority should be given to a building and site survey as well as a heritage assessment which will help establish a building’s significance in a historical, social and architectural context: an application that acknowledges why it was listed in the first place stands a better chance of progress.
The building survey may sometimes include invasive exploratory work but this is only possible on receipt of a letter of comfort from your local planning authority giving permission. Ecological surveys will be required and, if not undertaken at the right time, can delay a project for up to a year.
Compliance with modern regulations, from fire safety to services, can be more challenging in a historic property and should be done sensitively. In some cases special dispensations can be negotiated.
For landowners considering holiday let conversions, enlisting the help of a suitably experienced building surveyor or architect will ensure you have realistic costs of conversion: work to a heritage building can require nonconventional approaches to repair and alteration using materials that are not in mass production.
By understanding a building’s history and past incarnations it is much easier to appreciate what future changes it might absorb without diluting its historical significance. Enabling a listed building to evolve is rarely a bad thing if it is done in an informed way.
