Architectural Heritage Grants

Grants To Help With Improving Your House

Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation is responsible for promoting the preservation of buildings and other environmental features of beauty or historic interest within Letchworth Garden City. Heritage Grants are provided by the Foundation to maintain and enhance the legacy for the benefit of the community.

Heritage Grants are given to preserve the character and style of Garden City properties by encouraging homeowners to use superior materials and designs that match the originals.

The scheme is designed to reflect the distinct set of ‘Standards’ for each of the ‘Character Areas’:

• Early Garden City
• Later Garden City
• Modern Garden City

Heritage Grants are available to homeowners in all ‘Character Areas‘, but they vary according to the Character Area in question.

Availability of Grants

Buildings and Building Features
Heritage grants are available to help meet the costs of restoration and the sympathetic replacement of the following original features:

• Doors
• Windows
• Chimneys
• Some internal works, such as balustrades and built in furniture, if it can be proved they were original features.

Frontages
Grants are also available to help towards the cost of the following works:

• reinstatement of front gardens associated with removal of excessive hard standings
• re-establishment of missing hedges or traditional open (picket) fences specimen trees

These grants will only cover the cost of permanent works, i.e. not potted plants.

If your proposed works are not listed, but involve the restoration or sensitive replacement of an original feature you may still be eligible for a grant under the ‘Other works’ category. All applications will be considered on their own merits.

Grants Amounts

The amount of heritage grant payable in each instance is worked out by awarding up to a certain percentage of the project cost, as shown in the table, the percentage may differ based on the ‘Character Area’ of your home. The actual amount of grant awarded is discretionary up to the maximum level in each instance.

If you propose to do the works yourself, a grant may still be available.

Please note that Heritage Grants cannot be given or offered for works already started.

Grant Application Process and Timescales

Heritage Grant applications can be made by the property owner/occupier, or through an agent acting on your behalf.

Applications should include:

• A description and drawing of the intended works, including materials, measurements and/or specifications. Plans and photos may also be helpful
• Two comparable, ‘like-for-like’ costing quotes for the works from two different contractors or garden centres.
• Applications for landscaping grants require an agreed works scheme or planting plan.

Following receipt of your application a member of the Estates team will carry out a site visit to check that the proposed works match the originals and have not already begun.

The application will then be submitted to the Board of Management for consideration. If the application is successful, a grant offer will be made, this may include conditions.
Please note that works must not begin until a formal written grant offer has been received, if works have started the grant will not be awarded.

Your grant offer will usually be valid for one year, works must be completed and receipts submitted within that time.

A site visit will be carried out to ensure the works have been completed to the approved specification and conditions, if satisfactory a cheque will then be issued.

You should allow sufficient time to apply for a grant, the application process takes between 6-12 weeks.

* For Heritage Grant applications, composite timber windows will not be considered an original material

We review the grant scheme from time to time to reflect priorities, level of applications, and budget constraints.

The potential to reintroduce grants towards reroofing will be reviewed in the summer of 2010.

Questions?

If you have any further questions we will be pleased to help.

Telephone - 01462 476007 Fax - 01462 476050 Email - info@lgchf.com