What is the grant for?

If you own a historic building or are thinking about buying one, you need to be aware that ownership carries certain responsibilities of upkeep and maintenance.

Financial help may be available if you own a statutory listed building, a locally listed building or any historic building in one of the borough's seven conservation areas.

What sorts of works does the grant cover?

The aim of the grant is to help building owners restore historical features or carry out structural or repair work. It exists to encourage owners to use traditional materials such as timber, slate, terracotta and cast iron rather than modern materials.

Grant assistance may be available for the following:

• Repairs to the roof, rainwater goods, doors and windows, shop fronts, internal and external architectural features;
• Repairs to external walls, stone and brickwork, including repointing;
• Damp proofing and treatment of rot;
• Structural repairs such as stabilisation of foundations; and
• Repair and replacement of boundary walls, railings, stone setts and traditional brick paving.

The Council will expect all works under the grant scheme to be sympathetic to the character of the building and to be done to a standard that will ensure durability and value for money.

How much grant will I get?

The rate of grant varies between 30% and 50%, depending on the type of works applied for and the type of building.  For instance, restoration of original features attracts a higher rate than general maintenance work, as do buildings that are statutorily or locally listed or the subject of an Article 4 Direction.

A guidance note, which can be downloaded on the right, provides more details of the types of works that are grant eligible and the amount of grant you can expect to get.

How do I apply?

You can either contact the Development Plan Manager at the Borough Council for an application form or download it on the right. You will need to obtain three written quotations for each item of maintenance work and two estimates for specialists works you are applying for.  It would help if you could fill in separate forms if you are undertaking more than one item of work.

Grants are currently offered on a first come first served basis and cannot be given for work that has already been carried out.  If you sell the building within three years of receiving the grant, you will have to repay all or part of it.

Do I need to apply for planning permission?

If you are carrying out like-for-like repairs or replacements you should not need to apply for planning permission. However, if you are proposing to change the external appearance of a building, for example, replacing a non-traditional shop front with a traditional style shop front, you will need to apply for planning permission.  If your building is covered by an Article 4 Direction and you want to make changes to features covered by the Direction, you will also need to apply for planning permission, which will be free of charge.

If you are proposing to carry out any works to a listed building, you are advised to contact the Conservation Officer on the number below to check whether it would be acceptable and whether you need to obtain listed building consent and/or planning permission.

Contacts

If you want to speak to someone to discuss your proposals before you apply, please contact the Development Plan Manager on 01827 709279 or email: developmentplan@tamworth.gov.uk