Do You Need Permission to Repair a Slate Roof?

A grand New Town Edinburgh townhouse with a slate dormer roof and ornate iron balconies — Many New Town townhouses sit within both a conservation area and individual listing, which shapes what work needs consent.

Do you need permission to repair a slate roof in Edinburgh?

Generally, straightforward like for like repair, replacing a slipped or broken slate with a matching one, does not need listed building consent or planning permission. Where permission is far more likely to be needed is a larger scale re-roof, a change of roofing material, or any alteration that changes the appearance of a listed building or one in a conservation area. Because so much of Edinburgh is either listed or within a conservation area, it is always worth checking rather than assuming.

Edinburgh has an unusually high proportion of listed buildings and conservation area properties for a city its size, including the Old and New Towns, which together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. That does not mean every repair needs a formal application, but it does mean the rules are worth understanding before work starts, particularly for anything beyond a simple slate for slate replacement.

Listed building consent

If a building is listed, alterations that affect its character, inside or out, generally require listed building consent, separate from planning permission. Roof coverings are considered part of a listed building’s character, so a change of material, or extensive re-slating that alters the roof’s appearance, is the kind of work most likely to need consent. City of Edinburgh Council’s guidance and Historic Environment Scotland’s consents pages both cover when consent is required and how to apply.

Conservation areas

Conservation area status protects the character of an area as a whole, rather than an individual building’s listing. Roof alterations visible from the street, again particularly a change of material, are more likely to attract scrutiny in a conservation area than a straightforward repair using matching materials.

Why we recommend checking rather than assuming

Because listed status and conservation area boundaries vary street by street and even property by property in Edinburgh, we would always recommend checking your specific property’s status with the council or Historic Environment Scotland before any work beyond a like for like slate repair. Our Edinburgh roof standards guide covers the wider conservation context in more detail.

Email us photos of the roof and what floor it’s on, or how many levels up it is, and we’ll tell you what we need to give you a price.

Not sure if your repair needs consent?

Email us photos of the roof and what floor it’s on, or how many levels up it is, and we’ll tell you what we need to give you a price.

Email us about your roof

Do You Need Permission to Repair a Slate Roof?