Listed Buildings in Wales

HISTORIC BUILDINGS GRANTS & CONSERVATION AREA GRANTS

ISBN 1 85760 206 4 2004 Crown Copyright

Introduction

This booklet outlines what grants Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments can give for historic buildings and conservation areas, and it explains how you can find out more about these grants. By law, Cadw can give grants only to buildings of outstanding historic or architectural interest, and for certain works in conservation areas. Grants are made on the advice of the Historic Buildings Council for Wales (HBCW). The HBCW is the independent panel of experts appointed to advise the National Assembly for Wales (of which Cadw is an Executive Agency) about historic buildings. The HBCW considers grant applications to decide whether the building is of the quality to merit grant support and if the works qualify for assistance. The Council meets five times each year to consider applications and publishes an annual report, listing all properties grant-aided on its advice. There may be occasions - in difficult or borderline cases - where members of the Council need to visit a property, but this is unusual. Repairs to historic buildings may require listed building consent. You should contact the planning department of your local authority who will advise you. The Cadw booklet Listed Building Consent (in the series The Listing of Buildings in Wales) provides further information.

1. What advice is available?

Cadw can offer general informal advice on grants and planning controls but, if you plan work to an historic building, the advice of your own architect or surveyor in such work will be invaluable.

2. What grants are available?

Historic Buildings Grant

This is for buildings of outstanding historic or architectural interest. 'Building' is interpreted in the widest sense - for example, depending on their quality, memorials and garden structures could qualify. These grants assist the repair or restoration of the best historic buildings in Wales. Generally, a building does not have to be listed to be considered for a grant. However, if grant is awarded for work to a building which is unlisted (and which lies outside a conservation area), the building is usually added to the statutory lists soon afterwards. (The booklet in this series entitled What is Listing? provides more information). Grants are available in the case of:

religious buildings in use for worship;
buildings in the ownership of trusts or charitable bodies;
domestic buildings in private ownership;
commercial and industrial premises;
buildings in public ownership.

Cadw places particular importance on the need to preserve outstanding buildings which may currently be in danger of disrepair or dereliction, and is always willing to give priority to buildings at risk which require urgent works.

Conservation Area Grant

Such a grant is for works (usually external works to an historic building) judged to make a significant contribution towards the preservation and enhancement of the Conservation Area in which the building is located. Conservation Areas are designated by local authorities as areas of special architectural or historic interest.

3. What is outstanding interest?

The Historic Buildings Council judges whether a building is of outstanding interest by reference to the following criteria:

Historic Interest

strong association with a significant historical event;
strong association with an important figure in history;
strong association with an important movement (e.g. religious, political, social or cultural);
strong association with an important cultural or industrial achievement.

Architectural Interest
architectural quality (this may derive as much from the simple form of a vernacular building as from the rich architectural details of a religious building, or the grand proportions of a country house);
importance within a setting of significant quality (such as landscape or townscape);
importance as a distinctive example of the work of a significant architect, or significant contribution to the history of architecture;
importance as a classic example of a particular style, movement or building type;
importance as a rare example, or survival, of a particular building type, structural form, or historical method of construction including local, formerly typical, structures now under threat of disappearance; o importance as an example of an innovative contribution to the technology of building construction.

4. What grant aid might I receive?

Cadw generally observes a guideline rate, which is as follows:

	HistoricBuildings Grant	ConservationArea Grant
Religious	50%	40%
Trusts and charities	40%	30%
Domestic/private	30%	25%
Commercial/industrial	30%	25%
Public	30%	25%

However, each case is treated on its own merits and a higher or lower grant may be offered depending on the circumstances. Grant is provided in cases where applicants lack the incentive or means to carry out the entirety of the project from their own resources, and you will be asked to indicate the maximum contribution which you can make. Cadw reserves the right to carry out a financial appraisal. An appraisal will always be required when:

a grant is sought which is higher than the guideline rate; or
a grant of more than Ł60,000 is sought by a private owner; or
the grant is in connection with a commercial enterprise.

5. How does Cadw assess applications?

A completed application form with supporting information including photographs should be forwarded to Cadw. Good general views of the building are required, together with views of any features you consider to be of particular interest and of the parts of the building needing repair. For ecclesiastical buildings a good internal view is also required.
Following receipt, Cadw's grant case officer will check that the application is complete and acknowledge it. Unless it is well known to Cadw, one of its architects will visit the building (by arrangement with you) to assess its qualities and to discuss the proposed repairs with you. The architect's report goes before the HBC, together with other information such as - if appropriate - the list description of the building. If an application is considered to be for works of routine maintenance only (and therefore outside the scope of Cadw's grant scheme) it will be rejected without reference to the HBC.

6. How long will a decision take?

Cadw's target is to give 80 per cent of applicants a decision on grant within eighteen weeks of receipt of a fully completed application form. Once the HBCW has reported on the application, the grant case officer will write to you, either with an 'in principle' offer of grant, or to tell you that the application has not been approved. The 'in principle' offer letter will detail the amount of grant available, together with a figure which will indicate the percentage of the cost of eligible works which the grant will cover. It will also enclose a copy of the grant conditions that would apply if a 'formal' offer were to be subsequently made and the architect's works report that will detail the grant eligible works. You have three months to consider the 'in principle' offer and provide the necessary information sought. With the necessary information, Cadw will then be in a position to consider making a 'formal' offer. If Cadw does not hear further from you, the 'in principle' offer will be withdrawn. To receive a 'formal' offer of grant you will need to provide the following :

a full specification of the works to be undertaken (to be cleared with Cadw's architect);
three tenders;
confirmation that you have the necessary funding in place to meet your share of the cost of works;
the date you propose to start the works;
the date you envisage works will be completed;
details of any other public sector grants you are, or may be, receiving;
evidence that the property is insured with sufficient cover to protect the grant in the event of damage to the property
the level of fees and expenses charged by your professional adviser.

7. How are grants paid?

You may claim grant either on completion of the project, or by instalments. Payments will be made on the basis of your professional adviser's certificates or receipted invoices (see Explanatory Note J to the conditions at the end of this publication). These confirm that the works undertaken, and which are the subject of the claim, have been completed and that you have paid for them. A grant is not paid in advance of the works being completed.

8. How quickly will claims be paid?

Cadw's target is to pay 90 per cent of properly presented claims within five weeks of receipt. Where your final claim is concerned, Cadw will retain 20 per cent of the grant until one of Cadw's architects has visited and confirmed that all the works have been undertaken in accordance with the specification.

9. Are any conditions attached to this grant?

Yes, you will find a list of the grant conditions attached. The conditions will apply for a period of ten years from the date of Cadw's payment of grant or, if grant is to be paid in instalments, from the date of the payment of the first instalment. You should read the conditions and the accompanying explanatory notes carefully before accepting the offer. You will be asked to sign an agreement indicating your acceptance of the grant conditions. Cadw will monitor the conditions to ensure they continue to be met during the ten-year period. The grant conditions may specify that a degree of public access must be allowed. Certain properties, by the nature of their use, will already be open to the public. In the case of conservation area grants, the eligible works which Cadw grant aids are those which can be viewed from within the conservation area itself - thus no public access to the interior of the building is necessary. In other cases, you may be required to agree with Cadw an appropriate level of public access. Generally, in the case of smaller residential properties or working farms, public access will be by appointment. Cadw publishes a list of the properties assisted by grant aid and the extent of public access available at each and makes this information available on the Internet at www.cadw.wales.gov.uk. In cases where grant of Ł60,000 or more is provided for works to buildings in private ownership or to commercial enterprises, grant recipients will be required to advertise the access arrangements annually over the ten-year period in which they are in force in a national historic buildings publication agreed with Cadw. Cadw is empowered to recover all or part of the grant if, within ten years of the date of the payment of grant (or, if the grant is paid in instalments, within ten years of the date of the payment of the first instalment) you dispose of the property, or any part of it, by sale, exchange or lease for a term of 21 years or more. You will be required to notify Cadw before any proposed disposal. For grants of Ł20,000 or more for private, commercial or industrial properties, Cadw will normally require you to enter into a legal charge which will last for the ten-year period or until you dispose of the property (whichever occurs sooner). This legal charge will be registered at the Land Registry and means that the property cannot be disposed of without notification. Such a charge will usually take the form of a mortgage on the building to protect Cadw's grant investment and will be withdrawn when the grant conditions expire.

10. How do I make a grant application?

You can write to, email or telephone Cadw's historic buildings grant section and request an application form (see paragraph 12). The completed application form should be returned to Cadw, together with photographs of the property (see paragraph 5) and cost estimates.

11. Some other questions you may like answered

11.1 Is grant available for routine maintenance?
No, a grant application can only be considered for repair/restoration of the historic fabric of a building. Repainting alone, for example, would not be eligible for grant.

11.2 Can I get grant for installation of central heating, rewiring, security measures?
No, only work to the historic fabric of the building is eligible.

11.3 What if I am unsure which elements of the work I plan may be eligible?
Your application to Cadw can be broadly based. One of Cadw's conservation architects can advise on what might be eligible.

11.4 What does a financial appraisal involve?
For many applications, we will undertake a financial assessment to ascertain whether or not you are able to proceed with proposed works without the benefit of grant. Cadw asks businesses to provide the last three years' audited accounts. Private owners may be asked for bank statements, details of other properties owned, and other financial information. All papers are kept strictly confidential and are returned to the applicant when the assessment is complete.

11.5 Can I apply for grant if I do not own the property?
Cadw can accept a grant application if you are the leaseholder, but only if you can confirm that repairs are your responsibility. Cadw would also need to know the length of time for which the lease runs. If you do not own the property, and are not a leaseholder, you may still apply, but Cadw would not make you a formal grant offer until you became the owner or leaseholder. As part of the application assessment, a conservation architect will visit the property and so Cadw will need co-operation from the current owner.

11.6 What if my property requires major works?
You are strongly advised to engage a professional adviser who is familiar with work on historic buildings. Extensive works may best be tackled in stages. Cadw will consider a grant application for each phase of work as you are ready to proceed.

11.7 What if unforeseen works are needed?
Cadw will consider an increase in grant for unforeseen works but you must pass on the information at once. If the work is extensive, Cadw may suggest that it forms a new phase of work.

11.8 What if part of my proposed programme of works requires listed building consent?
You should always check with the local planning authority to see if the works you are proposing to undertake will require listed building consent.

11.9 What if I am dissatisfied with the way in which my application is handled?
Cadw aims to handle all applications fairly, openly and expeditiously along the lines described in these notes. If you have concerns about the way your application is being handled, please take it up initially with your case officer. If you remain dissatisfied, it is open to you to write to the Head of Administration, Cadw, or to Cadw's Chief Executive at the National Assembly for Wales, Crown Building, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ. Because Cadw is a part of the National Assembly for Wales, the actions of Cadw are also subject to investigation by the Welsh Administration Ombudsman, who can be contacted at Capital Tower, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff CF10 3AG.

12. Further information and contacts
Cadw's historic buildings grant case officers will be able to answer most general enquiries. They can be contacted in writing, by telephone on 029 2050 0200, or by fax on 029 2082 6375. Email: cadw@wales.gsi.gov.uk If you wish to discuss the technical details of your proposals, you may wish to talk to one of Cadw's architects.

Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953
Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990

Grant Conditions
The following conditions are attached to historic buildings grants and conservation areas grants.

1. A professional adviser is employed to supervise the work in progress (see Explanatory Note B).

2. (a) The works are carried out in full in accordance with the specification approved by Cadw before the grant was formally offered; and (b) no other works are carried out without Cadw's approval.

3. (a) The offer of grant is accepted by written agreement within one month; (b) work begins within three months of the date of the offer unless otherwise agreed by Cadw; and (c) the date of the commencement of work is notified to Cadw.

4. Cadw's architect has the right to inspect the work while in progress and after completion, and the work is carried out to his/her satisfaction.

5. Cadw is notified immediately should you receive any other offer of grants or subsidies towards the cost of works from central or local government or from any other source.

6. The property is maintained in a reasonable state of repair during the ten year period (see Explanatory Note C for the meaning of 'ten year period') and no future works of repair which may affect the character of the building (e.g. re-roofing with different material) or any alteration, conversion, addition or improvement are carried out without prior approval from Cadw.

7. The property is adequately insured so that its repair and restoration after fire or other damage will be practicable by means of that insurance. Insurance must be maintained for the ten year period (see Explanatory Note C for the meaning of 'ten year period'). You are required to forward evidence of your insurance cover when accepting the grant offer (see Explanatory Note D).

8. (a) Secular Buildings - 1953 Act Grants Members of the public are allowed to visit the property (if necessary by appointment) and adequate publicity is given to this arrangement (see Explanatory Note E). (b) Religious Buildings - 1953 Act Grants Reasonable access to members of the public, outside normal church hours, must be permitted on request. Notice of such arrangements should be displayed in the porch or nearby (see Explanatory Note E). (c) 1990 Act Conservation Area Grants The access conditions do not apply.

9. Cadw needs to be notified if, during the ten year period: (a) you dispose of the property, or any part of it, by way of sale, exchange or lease for a term of 21 years or more (see Explanatory Note F); or (b) you make a gift of your interest in the property to a third party (see Explanatory Note G). You should inform us if you intend to do so. In some circumstances, you may be required to enter into a legal charge with us (see Explanatory Note H).

10. If you make a gift of your interest in the property to a third party, the transfer of the property shall include a provision requiring that third party to assume liability for all of the grant conditions (see Explanatory Note I ).

11. You notify this office of any unforeseen increase in costs.

12. Cadw receives any information and/or documents it may request in undertaking its random checks throughout the ten year period to ensure you are complying with the above grant conditions.

Explanatory Notes

A. If one or more of the above conditions are contravened or not complied with, the National Assembly for Wales may at any time recover from you the whole or part of the grant or such part of it as it sees fit (in accordance with section 4A of the 1953 Act, as inserted by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979/Section 78 of the 1990 Act).

B. A professional adviser is an independent, competent building professional or professional team (i.e. a registered architect, a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors accredited surveyor, or an engineer) with the appropriate specialist conservation knowledge, ability and experience to plan and specify the work in detail, and to inspect the work while it is in progress and after it has been completed.

C. For the purposes of section 4A(2) of the 1953 Act/Section 78(3) of the 1990 Act, in these grant conditions the phrase 'ten year period' means the period of ten years beginning with the day on which the grant payment is made by the National Assembly for Wales or, where the grant is being paid in instalments, means the period of ten years beginning with the day on which the first instalment is so paid.

D. In considering the appropriate level of insurance cover, you will wish to ensure that the insurance cover is adequate in the event of damage to enable you either to undertake the necessary restoration and/or repairs without further grant support or to repay the grant in the event of that repair work not being undertaken. Consideration should also be given to the requirements of the local planning authority, particularly where the building has not been damaged to such an extent that the site may be cleared. The local planning authority may require the building to be fully restored to an acceptable standard and, in such circumstances, 'First Loss' and similar policies may not provide sufficient funds for the purpose. The minimum level of cover which Cadw requires you to maintain for the ten year period is a level sufficient to protect the grant.

E. For 1953 Act grants, the following levels of public access can be applied as a condition of grant:
Access Code 1 These buildings are open to the public for a minimum of 30 days each year.
Access Code 2 These buildings may be inspected by appointment with the owner.
Access Code 3 The interiors of these buildings, by reason of their use, can be seen by the public.
Access Code 4 The exteriors of these buildings are their most important feature and can be seen from the street.
Access Code 5 Arrangements for visiting these buildings will be displayed outside these buildings.
Information on the property address, contact name and address, access expiry date and access code may be included in the Cadw publication Public Access to Cadw Aided Buildings, which is updated annually, and/or may be placed on Cadw's website at www.cadw.wales.gov.uk.

F. Under the provisions of section 4A of the 1953 Act/Section 78 of the 1990 Act, the National Assembly for Wales may recover the whole or part of the grant if, during the ten year period, you dispose of the property, or of any part of it, by way of sale, exchange or a lease for a term of 21 years or more.

G. Should you directly or indirectly make a gift of your interest in the property (otherwise than by will), you should bear in mind that under the provisions of section 4A of the 1953 Act/Section 78 of the 1990 Act, the National Assembly for Wales may recover the whole or part of the grant, (a) from you, if you make a gift of your interest in part of the property and the recipient subsequently disposes of that interest or any part of it by way of sale, exchange or a lease for a term of 21 years or more within the ten year period; or (b) from the recipient, if you make a gift of the whole of your interest in the property and the recipient subsequently disposes of that interest or of any part of it by way of sale, exchange or a lease for a term of 21 years or more within the ten year period.

H. For grants of Ł20,000 or more for private, commercial or industrial properties, Cadw will normally require you to enter into a legal charge which will last for the ten year period or until you dispose of the property. This legal charge will be registered at the Land Registry and Cadw will meet the cost of establishing it. It will mean that the property cannot be disposed of without Cadw being notified of an intended disposal.

I. Section 4A(7) of the 1953 Act/Section 78(5) of the 1990 Act enables the National Assembly for Wales to recover the grant from a donee of a gift of your interest in the property where the donee subsequently disposes of the interest in a manner set out in explanatory note G(b) above. Section 4A(3) of the 1953 Act/Section 78(7) of the 1990 Act, however, provides that you remain liable for all of the other grant conditions, notwithstanding that the property has been gifted to a third party. Accordingly, Grant Condition 10 requires you to make provision in the document which will transfer ownership to the third party requiring the donee of the gift to comply with all of the grant conditions, including the insurance condition.

J. If you decide to accept this offer, payment of grant can be made either by way of a lump sum on completion of the work or by instalments as the work proceeds. In either case, you should submit the following information for each claim for payment: (a) for claims for an interim payment in respect of works, a certificate from your supervising professional adviser certifying the value of the works completed to date. Your professional adviser will have the necessary form. Where the scheme of repair includes works which are not eligible for Cadw grant, your professional adviser should also provide a written statement confirming that the claim relates to Cadw-eligible works only; (b) for claims for an interim payment in respect of non-recoverable VAT, often your professional adviser will also include the appropriate VAT value on his/her certificate. Where this is not the case, you will need to submit a contractor's invoice indicating the VAT that has been paid. Such invoices will not be eligible for grant unless they are signed and dated by the contractor to confirm that payment has been received from you; (c) for claims for payment in respect of professional fees, you will need to submit copies of invoices paid by you for grant to be paid on the agreed fee percentage. Such invoices will not be eligible for grant unless they are signed and dated by the professional adviser to confirm that payment has been received from you. A combination of the above may be submitted with one claim. Provided the conditions of this grant offer have been met, the schedule of work has been approved by Cadw's architect and the work has been carried out to his/her satisfaction, grant aid calculated on a pro rata basis on the eligible portions of the submitted invoices will be subsequently paid direct to the owner of the property unless an alternative method is requested. It is the responsibility of the owner in the first place to meet payment of the full cost of the works together, where appropriate, with any fees, VAT and other associated costs.

K. VAT at the appropriate rate is normally payable on the cost of repairs and professional advisers' fees (where appropriate) and estimates on which this offer is based take that into account; but in certain cases, e.g. if the building is in use for trade and business purposes, VAT may be wholly or partly recoverable. Before grant can be paid, you must therefore certify, firstly, the amount of VAT you have been required to pay and, secondly, that no part of it is recoverable.

L. The National Assembly for Wales reserves the right, at its discretion, to:
(a) alter or cancel the offer of grant if any of the above conditions are contravened;
(b) alter or cancel any grant offered in the light of any other offers of grant or subsidy towards the cost of works which are accepted by you; and
(c) reduce the grant, if the actual cost of grant-eligible works considered necessary by Cadw's Conservation Architect proves to be less than those quoted in the offer letter.

M. There is no further obligation on the National Assembly to provide further grant aid should the final cost of works concerned exceed the figures quoted in the offer letter. You should also note that the National Assembly for Wales' approval to the details of a scheme does not override any other requirement for you to comply with other legal controls, e.g. planning law.

N. Grant payments will be made via the BACSTEL system. The BACS system is a secure and quicker method of making payments and is the Assembly's preferred method of payment. Should you not wish to have your grant payments made in this way, you will need to confirm this in writing so that other arrangements can be made.

END

Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments,
National Assembly for Wales,
Crown Building, Cathays Park,
Cardiff CF10 3NQ.

Tel: 029 2050 0200
F fax 029 2082 6375.

Email: cadw@wales.gsi.gov.uk