Historic buildings needing upgrade

Retrofit or Ruin [ image https://www.grosvenor.com ]

Published On: 6th March 2026

The Duke of Westminster, one of Britain’s biggest landowners, has criticised strict planning rules affecting upgrades to historic homes.

He owns 1,750 listed buildings as part of a property empire that includes some of London’s most impressive period buildings in Mayfair and Belgravia. Many require essential updating, not least for energy purposes.

In the report ‘Retrofit or Ruin‘ by Capital Economics, the Duke’s Grosvenor property company criticises “slow, complex and inconsistent rules” that risk leaving England’s 350,000 listed buildings “uninhabitable, unaffordable and ultimately redundant”.

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