Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to improve the protection of listed buildings.

It is a criminal offence to demolish a listed building, or to alter or extend it in a manner that would affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest, without obtaining listed building consent from the relevant local planning authority. In addition to this protection, HM Government is taking steps through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill to improve the protection that can be afforded to vulnerable buildings while they are being considered for listing by simplifying the process for the service of building preservation notices by local planning authorities.