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. The Borough Council is
keen to encourage owners to use traditional materials and
techniques when carrying out building repairs and improvement
works.
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 to restore
historical features or carry out structural or repair work to
maintain the integrity of the building. It exists to encourage
owners to use traditional materials such as timber, slate,
terracotta and cast iron rather than modern materials like plastic
and concrete.
The following list provides an idea of the types of work for
which grant assistance may be available:
- 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 covered by an Article
4(2) 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. It also provides detailed
information about how to apply for a grant.
How do I apply?
You can either contact the Conservation Officer 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(2)
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 conservation officer on 01827
709278 or email: developmentplan@tamworth.gov.uk