Historic Buildings

The Peak District has a rich and distinctive architectural heritage and the National Park Authority has a duty to protect its special character, which is underpinned by national legislation.
You will notice that the national park is very different from the areas outside its boundaries. Development is carefully controlled and the special character of the place has been maintained. Listed buildings and traditional properties in conservation areas are given special protection.
Problems can arise when people want to alter buildings, particularly listed ones, and discover that additional constraints apply, in addition to compliance with the usual planning regulations. We recognise how this can cause difficulties and work with people to help them understand exactly what is likely to be acceptable, or not, and why.
More information
- Sustainability and historic buildings: a guide for owners and occupiers (225KB)
- Repointing your Building (150KB)
- Historic windows
- Building regulations
Advice on other aspects, including solar panels, can be found in our Climate Change and Sustainable Building Supplementary Planning Document (1.7MB) and the section on Historic England's website on Energy Efficiency and Historic Buildings.