Heritage plays an important role in how we experience and appreciate our everyday surroundings. It forms part of our collective memory and acts as the link between the past, the present and the future.
Points to note regarding listed buildings and conservation areas
Monuments and listed town and village views
Monuments represent the finest examples of our built heritage. They offer a window into the past and keep our history alive. It is important that our heritage remains accessible, but can also be put to practical use.
The municipality of Apeldoorn and the national government wish to treat this valuable heritage with care and pass it on to future generations.
A building can be so special that the authorities grant it a special status. We then refer to it as a listed building. There are both municipal and national listed buildings in Apeldoorn. Monuments are protected against drastic alterations that would compromise their historic character. This applies to both the exterior and the interior. When carrying out renovations, a careful balance is sought between the monument’s authenticity and the requirements of its (new) use.
In addition to listed buildings, there are also ‘characteristic buildings’ and ‘landmark buildings’. These are protected against (partial) demolition under the environmental plan and the heritage regulations respectively, but are not subject to any specific rules regarding renovation.
Just like buildings, areas can also be protected by the government (central government or the local authority). We refer to these areas as protected town and village views or areas of cultural and historical value. These are areas that are particularly special because their original character has been well preserved. That character is still clearly recognisable in, for example, the buildings, the green spaces, the road network and the way in which land and buildings are used.
The aim of the conservation measures is to preserve valuable historical features and to ensure they are incorporated into future developments. It does not, therefore, entail freezing the current situation. People should still be able to live and work in the area as normal. However, it is important that new developments are in keeping with the area’s valuable character.
The General Provisions on Environmental Law Act (Wabo), the Heritage Act and the municipal heritage by-law set out the rules that apply to listed buildings, nationally and municipally protected town and village views, and nationally protected country estates. From 2020, some of these regulations will be incorporated into the Environment Act.
Heritage in relation to building regulations
If the owner wishes to restore or renovate their listed building, they must usually apply to the local authority for an environmental permit for the activity ‘altering a listed building’. Furthermore, the rules governing permit-exempt building work on listed buildings (both national and local) and within nationally protected town and village views and nationally protected country estates differ from the regulations for unlisted buildings. You can check via the Omgevingsloket which building works on listed buildings and within nationally protected town and village views and nationally protected country estates can be carried out without a permit.
Renovations to listed buildings and to buildings within protected town and village settings, nationally protected country estates and areas of cultural and historical value are always specific and are therefore not assessed against the criteria for common types of buildings, but are evaluated on the basis of the character of the building in combination with the area’s objectives (Appendix B). For the sake of completeness, this also applies to landmark buildings (which are always situated within a protected landscape) and to characteristic buildings located in an area of cultural and historical significance.
Points to consider regarding renovations to heritage properties
Many people regard living or working in a listed building as a great honour; after all, it is not just any building. Fortunately, owners often find their listed building so special that they want to treat it with care. Maintaining, restoring, making it more sustainable and adapting it require specific knowledge and skills. The design and execution of work on a listed building are best carried out by specialists with experience in this field. The local authority can also support you in this regard, through its maintenance and restoration adviser.
The discussion points set out below can be used when discussing a plan to renovate a listed building with the Environmental Quality Committee. These discussion points serve as criteria, a design framework and a source of inspiration. In addition to these specific points for listed buildings, the following also apply, of course: general topics of conversation.
A farm in Zilven, a house in the Metaalbuurt neighbourhood, the Radio Kootwijk transmission station – every listed building tells its own story, with its own history of construction and use, as well as its own structure, style and distinctive features. Before drawing up a plan, it is important to understand the aspects that make that particular monument valuable. A primary source of information for this is the explanatory description of the monument. You can request a copy of this from the local council.
This description does not always provide sufficient information. Further research may be required into the structural, architectural and historical, art-historical, cultural-historical or technical aspects of the monument. Taken together, all this information forms an important basis for drawing up plans.
A general principle governing the maintenance of listed buildings is that the preservation of the building, and of all its constituent parts, is always to be preferred to renovation. Renovation inevitably results in the loss of historical material. It is a decision that can only be made once.
Sometimes repair or replacement is necessary. If something does need to be altered or renewed, the current listed building (design, overall form, materials, construction and details) must serve as the starting point. You can seek advice from the local authority’s maintenance and restoration adviser on how to go about this and what principles apply.
Few monuments have remained entirely unchanged since their construction or creation. These alterations are part of the monument’s history; they reflect social or functional developments. The changes may therefore be valuable from an architectural, landscape, or architectural and cultural-historical perspective.
When adding something to a listed building, should it be contemporary or in the historical style? Opinions on this have varied over time. Nowadays, importance is attached to the legibility of a listed building, and new developments are permitted. A contemporary addition can complement a listed building well and help to reveal its architectural history. At the same time, however, there is a growing appreciation for reconstructions, for example in the case of shop fronts, conservatories and verandas. So there is no single solution. Every intervention on a monument requires a bespoke approach: what suits this monument and its surroundings?
What makes monuments special is largely determined by their visible age and the way this is perceived. These qualities are expressed not only in the architectural style, but also in the way materials have been worked and the manner in which they age. A barn with rough-timber cladding on its façades exudes functional simplicity and austerity. In contrast, panelling in the interior conveys a sense of opulence. Preserving historic building materials is therefore important.
Another key aspect is the way in which our monuments were built: how they are structurally constructed and how the details and finishes were executed. These aspects provide insights into the period in which the monument was built, the location where it stands, or the function it served.
Distinctive finishes, detailing and the use of colour also reveal the building’s construction history and how it has been used over the years. The original colours have often faded. Looking around us, we now see mainly white, cream and dark green. Yet the original use of colour was so much more creative. In Apeldoorn, ochre was used extensively around the 19th century. But the post-war period, too, saw a richer use of colour than we see today.
A listed building offers a comfortable and sustainable place to live and work. It has stood there for many years and has now proven its durability in terms of materials and functionality.
When it comes to energy efficiency and comfort, there is sometimes room for improvement. A listed building is quite different from a new-build home; it requires a specific approach and specialist knowledge.
An old building has long had its own moisture and temperature balance. If we alter these building physics conditions, this can have unpleasant consequences, such as damp problems, mould growth and wood rot. The building’s heritage value must also be taken into account. Sometimes it is not possible to fit double glazing. In such cases, installing insulating secondary glazing can offer a solution. Whether it is possible to install solar panels or collectors varies from case to case. This depends, for example, on their appearance, visibility and whether they can be installed in a way that is clearly defined. Another factor is the extent to which they can be installed without causing damage to the listed building (reversibility).