How can local authorities ensure that buildings are being repaired?
What help is available for owners of buildings at risk?
Conservation lead regeneration
Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and Local Partnerships
Listed building owners have, by implication, a responsibility to keep a building in a reasonable state of repair. There are a number of statutory powers available to the local planning authority to enforce the undertaking of works if a building falls into disrepair. These powers are usually employed as a last resort when attempts to encourage and to work in co-operation with the owner have failed.
| Urgent Works Notice | Where there is an immediate danger to a building the local authority can carry out emergency repairs following an ‘Urgent Works Notice’. The costs of these repairs can be re-covered from the owner. Urgent works are usually just a temporary measure, for example, to make the building secure against the elements or vandals, or to prevent it from collapsing. |
| Repairs Notice | Where a building is left to deteriorate the local authority can serve a ‘Repairs Notice’. It will identify the work required to ensure a building’s survival and also specify a timescale within which these repairs have to be carried out. |
| Compulsory Purchase Order | If an owner who has been served with a ‘Repairs Notice’ fails to take any action towards the building’s preservation within a period of two months, the local authority, The Secretary of State or English Heritage have the powers to compulsory purchase the building following the serving of a ‘Compulsory Purchase Order’. The owner will be forced to sell at a price that reflects the actual condition agreed by the district surveyor. The authority can then repair the building themselves. In most cases, however, the building doesn’t remain in public ownership but is handed on to a private individual or body, which has the funds to carry out the necessary repairs. |
The full implication of the listing grade of a building becomes obvious when it comes to grant aid. Only Grade I and Grade II* buildings and Scheduled Ancient Monuments may qualify for funding from English Heritage. Thus the great majority of BaR in Nottinghamshire are ineligible as they are only Grade II. However, some of the districts run their own schemes for the repair of listed buildings or townscape improvements, and within these BaR are usually given priority for funding. Existing grant schemes within Nottinghamshire are:
Bassetlaw: Retford Townscape Heritage Initiative
A partnership funding scheme with money from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the district and county authorities. It is mainly targeted at particular historic and listed buildings within a core zone of the town conservation area with the aim of promoting economic regeneration through the conversion of redundant buildings to new uses including the repair and restoration of historic features. Due to run until 2006. Contact Ruth Connolly (Conservation Officer, Bassetlaw District Council), Tel. (01909) 533396.
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Environmental Stewardship Scheme:
A new subsidy scheme for farm landholders who are willing to introduce management types beneficial for the environment. Two schemes, the Entry Level Stewardship Scheme (ELS) and the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme (HLS) offer money towards the maintenance (ELS) and repair (HLS) of traditional farm buildings and for archaeological features to be taken out of cultivation. Although most of the Buildings at Risk featured in this register won’t qualify (one condition is, for example that the buildings have to be wind & weather tight in the first instance to be elegible) it might help with buildings where some preventive maintenance now can help to avoid problems getting out of control. The ELS is due to be launched in March 2005. For further information visit the DEFRA website: www.defra.gov.uk.
Mansfield: Mansfield Townscape Heritage Initiative
A multi partner funding scheme focussing on the run down White Hart area of the town centre. This multi million pound project includes large scale redevelopment alongside repair and restoration of historic buildings in the area. Contact Sudipta Malik (Conservation Officer, Mansfield District Council), Tel. (01623) 463700.
Landmark Facelift Scheme
A scheme funded by central governments Liveability Fund and running as part of a wider package of works to improve the appearance of key buildings in the town centre conservation areas. The grants are offered at a rate of up to 80% to a maximum of £5000. Work is targeted at properties whose external improvement will significantly contribute to the visual amenity of the town centre. The scheme is to run until 2006 and will cover works such as painting, masonry cleaning, repointing and new shop signage. Contact James White (Conservation Assistant, Mansfield District Council), Tel. (01623) 463700.
Newark & Sherwood: Rural Grant Scheme
Grant-aid for rural listed buildings, churches and structures, and Buildings at Risk. The grant covers 20% of the eligible costs up to a maximum of £2000 for structural repairs and repairs to roofs and rainwater goods. Elegible are also buildings of architectural interest within a Conservation Area, unlisted buildings in business or commercial use if they are of traditional design, and structures that are of ‘Local Interest’. These criteria might change and anyone interested should contact Amy Schofield (Conservation Officer, Newark & Sherwood District Council), Tel. (01636) 655862.
Nottinghamshire County Council: Local Improvement Scheme
In 2004 the County Council launched an ambitious new multi-million pound scheme to re-vitalise the county’s environment called Building Better Communities. In 2010 it changed its name to Local Improvement Scheme. Community partnership is a big part and groups are encouraged to submit proposals through their local elected members. The type of works that are being funded include those that aim to create improvements to the neighbourhoods, countryside, tourism and leisure, and environmental awareness. The potential to repair a BaR as part of a community focused project exists. Anyone with ideas should approach the County Council. For more information go to: www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/lis
Heritage lead funding in key areas such as the Lace Market and Canal Side in Nottingham and the Riverside in Newark has produced clear evidence of the positive outcomes of conservation lead regeneration.
By the end of the 1980’s these high profile areas contained a number of the county’s long term buildings at risk, including key landmarks like the British Waterways Buildings (one on the Riverside in Newark (see before and after pictures below), the other alongside Nottingham Canal) and the Adams Building in the Lace Market.
In each of these cases it was the repair, refurbishment and reuse of these ‘problematic’ buildings at risk that proved to be one of the major catalysts in creating confidence in the potential of these areas. The hundreds of millions pounds of developer money subsequently invested into the surrounding areas was a direct result of this initial injection that came through key conservation projects.
The Grade II* listed Kiln Warehouse, originally built as maltings, at Newark Riverside: before and after repair and conversion. These are mid 19th century mass concrete buildings, one of the earliest example of this construction type. Fire damaged and long-term BaR they were converted by British Waterways in the late 1990s to become their regional offices. The restoration of these buildings has acted as starting point for further regeneration of the riverside.
The Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and Local PartnershipsThe Heritage Lottery Fund has over the past 10 years invested over 16.5 million pounds In Nottinghamshire districts plus a further 21.7 million pounds into Nottingham based projects. It has enabled the regeneration of many important historic areas over the years through area based grant aid programmes. These grant schemes are run by local authorities with partnership funding from the County Council, English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
All of the lottery funded schemes have had an end use aimed at the community. As such the voluntary sector has been the major partner in many high profile schemes. In addition, the economic value of undertaking the refurbishment and repairs has injected much needed revenue directly into the local economy through direct employment of contractors.
The economic benefit through the attraction of new businesses into an area is not easy to calculate, but English Heritage research has shown that for every 10,000 pounds of heritage funding a further 45,000 pounds of private investment is generated directly. Every penny invested in conservation projects generates economic benefits in ways of creating new jobs, increasing Tourism, encouraging small business and enterprises, creating capital assets, and more.
The Adams Building, built in 1855, is one of the most impressive buildings in Nottingham’s Lace Market (right). The monumental building started life as a textile factory, lace warehouse and salesroom, The original layout incorporated a library, classroom, tearoom and chapel for the workers. By 1995 the grade II* listed building, along with many other buildings in the area, had fallen into serious disrepair.
In 1996 a £7.75 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant was secured enabling restoration work to begin. The factory now serves as a popular college campus for New College Nottingham. The project is seen by many as the catalyst for urban regeneration in the Lace Market district, now a desirable place to both live and work.