Earlier this month, the Twentieth Century Society posted a news item celebrating the most recent listing of a Post Modern office complex that they had campaigned on; The Former HQ of the Pearl Assurance Company, Peterborough – completed in 1992. 

The article makes for interesting reading – the listing campaign was launched amidst emerging proposals to redevelop the site, and the website states that ‘the decision will help protect this very special complex from any future unsympathetic developments.’

I have yet to read around this case more widely but the situation sounds familiar. I represent a number of public and private clients who are seeking to understand more about the listing process and the status of their assets where listing could affect development values or adaptability for reuse; helping to identify where the reasons for listing might arise and making representations to ensure a balanced assessment of the building is made. With Post Modern and Post War architecture the listing interest is not always obvious to the untrained eye - was it designed by a particular architect? Is it associated with a particular style or innovative ways of working at the time?

One to watch if you or your client are commissioning feasibility work for redevelopment where listing could seriously affect the outcome.