CERTIFICATE OF INTENTION NOT TO LIST (COINTL)

Download our factsheet Certificate of Intention Not To List (COINTL) [pdf, 213kb]

A Certificate is a legal guarantee that the building or buildings named in it will not be statutorily listed as being of special architectural or historic interest during the five years from the date on which the Certificate is granted.


We will normally grant a COINTL where a building is not found to meet the criteria for special architectural or historic interest and where it does not form part of the curtilage of an existing listed building.

In the event that a Certificate is granted a planning authority cannot serve a Building Preservation Notice (BPN) on the property in question during this period. (A BPN is a form of temporary listing served by the local planning authority under Section 3 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997).

COINTLs were introduced on 1 December 2011 by section 18 of the Historic Environment (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2011 which inserts section 5A into the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

A COINTL provides certainty for owners and developers considering works to a particular building. The principle of the COINTL process is not to exempt a building from listing, but to consider whether it may or may not meet the criteria for listing at an early stage of development and planning proposals. If issued, a Certificate grants a five-year period where there is a guarantee of no listing taking place.

Anyone can apply whether or not they own the building.

To apply for a COINTL download our proposal form.

COINTLs which have been issued

A list of COINTLs will be published here as they are issued.