In conservation terms a building deemed to be ‘at risk’ has specific meaning. A building is unlikely to be placed on either the national or the local Buildings At Risk register unless it has been under-maintained for a substantial length of time, is structurally unsound or has become uninhabitable. Only in exceptional circumstances will an occupied building be placed on the list.
English Heritage maintains a Buildings At Risk Register https://www.historicengland.org.uk/advice/heritage-at-risk/search..
For all Grade I and Grade II* listed buildings and for places of worship. It is in the process of establishing a national register for all Grade II Listed Buildings, in which they are assessed as in either good repair, fair, vulnerable, or at risk depending on specific criteria such as the state of roofs, guttering, windows, doors etc.
Local Authority’s have a duty to oversee to the best of their ability maintenance of Listed Buildings but the financial responsibility for repairs rests with the owner. The reasons for disrepair are many and various, but often result from one of the following:
- The building has outlived its original purpose e.g. mills, workhouses, stone barns.
- The building is on a farm / estate that no longer provides an adequate income.
- The owner lives elsewhere and has failed to maintain a specific building.
The most prominent local example is Big Mill, https://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101268581-the-big-mill-leek