It has been announced that a £15 million roof repair fund is now available for listed places of worship. However, the cut-off date for applications is 12 noon, Friday 30th January 2015. Individual grants are available between £10,000 and £100,000 which will pay for roof repairs as well as associated bat surveys & subsequent mitigation.
The fund is being administered by the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) in connection with the Department for Culture Media and Sport. Guidance for submitting applications can be found here: http://www.lpowroof.org.uk/sites/default/files/HPWRRF_Guidance.pdf
If you can answer the following 9 questions then your building may be eligible for a grant:
1. Is your building a Place of Worship listed at Grade I*, II*, II , A, B or C?
YES – Eligible NO – Not Eligible
2. Is your place of worship use solely or mainly as a public place of worship?
YES – Eligible NO – Not Eligible*
3. Is your place of worship used for public worship at least 6 times a year?
YES – Eligible NO – Not Eligible*
4. Is your place of worship an Anglican or Catholic Cathedral in England, a school or hospital chapel, or privately owned?
YES – Not Eligible NO – Eligible
5. Is your organisation responsible for repairing and maintaining your place of worship?
YES – Eligible NO – Not Eligible
6. Is your project for repairs to the roof and/or rainwater disposal systems?
YES – Eligible NO – Not Eligible
7. Has the repair work been identified in a recent condition survey
(for example, quinquennial inspection) or another professional report
as being necessary within the next five years?
YES – Eligible NO – Not Eligible **
8. Have you previously received a repair grant from Cadw,
English Heritage, Historic Scotland, Northern Ireland
Environment Agency, the Heritage Lottery Fund and/or other
Lottery distributor and is the project for which grant-aid was
provided still in delivery and not completed?
YES – Not Eligible NO – Eligible
9. Are you seeking a grant of between £10,000 and £100,000?
YES – Eligible NO – Not Eligible
If you are eligible then you can fill in the application form available here:
http://www.lpowroof.org.uk/sites/default/files/HPWRRF_Application_Form.pdf
*Unless owned or vested in by one of the following trusts, The Historic Chapels Trust, Friends of Friendless Churches,
Scottish Redundant Churches Trust, Churches Conservation Trust, Welsh Religious Buildings Trust or Norfolk Churches Trust.
**No, you do not qualify unless you provide a copy of an independent report which confirms the urgency of the repair work
