Applying for Grant Assistance

Introduction

The Glasgow Conservation Trust West is a charitable company limited by guarantee which provides grant aid for the repair and conservation of historic buildings. The Trust awards discretionary grants within the Glasgow West Outstanding Conservation Area from funds provided by Historic Scotland and Glasgow City Council. Because of limited resources, grants will generally be targeted at listed buildings.

The following text is a concise version of the Trust's Guide for Grant Applicants. Please refer to the latter for more detailed information. The Trust's standards for materials and workmanship may be found in the Technical Guidance Notes.

The Purpose of Grant Aid

The Trust provides grant aid to repair and restore buildings of architectural importance and their settings within the historic townscape of Glasgow's West End. Only external repairs to the historic fabric of a building are considered for grant aid. Grants are provided to enable owners to meet the additional costs involved in using traditional materials and craftsmanship for the repair and restoration of original features. Grant recipients must comply with guidelines set down by the Trust on the required standards of conservation work. Stone cleaning is never eligible for grant aid from the Trust.

Types of Grant Aid

There are three categories of grant offered by the Trust. Small Grant Scheme awards are designed to assist in the repair of small-scale features such as the leaded glass in a front door, and cannot exceed £5000 (the normal award being no more than £2500). Building Repair Scheme grants apply to comprehensive repairs of such things as roofs or external stonework, and are valued at £5000 and over. Townscape Enhancement grants are intended for the repair and restoration of external features which are communally owned, such as pleasure gardens or historic lighting schemes.

Please note that as of 2005-06, the Trust will no longer be in a position to entertain new grant applications under its Building Repair Scheme. For information on how to apply directly to Historic Scotland for large repair projects for Listed Buildings in the West End, please contact Historic Scotland at 0131 668 8814 or visit their website at www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/index/grants.htm. Grant enquiries for major works may also be made to the Heritage & Design Section of Glasgow City Council at 0141 287 8634.

Eligibility for Grant

Owners or lessees with a full repairing lease (of 21 years or more) whose properties lie within the Glasgow West Conservation Area are eligible for grant assistance on approved schemes. Proposed schemes for properties of townscape importance lying outside the Conservation Area but within the larger remit of the Trust will be assessed on individual merit. Applications will be judged on the nature and urgency of the work, the financial viability of the project and evidence that the building has been adequately maintained.

Level of Grant

The percentage of grant awarded varies from one project to another, and is dependent on a range of factors. It is always a percentage of the eligible costs of repair work, which may only represent a portion of the total cost of the scheme. Eligible costs are confined to repairs to historic fabric such as stonework, windows, cast iron railings and leadwork. An allowance is made towards the cost of professional fees (not exceeding 15% maximum) and VAT.

Grant Conditions

• Where the total contract value exceeds £5000, a qualified professional (architect, surveyor or engineer) must be appointed to draw up details of the project and oversee the work.

• Work must not commence until approval has been given in writing by the Trust (special consideration will be given to urgent repair schemes). Grant is never awarded retrospectively.

• It is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain the necessary statutory consents (Listed Building Consent, Planning Permission, etc.) for the works for which grant is being sought.

• GCTW grant may not be awarded where any other grant (from Glasgow City Council or Historic Scotland) has been approved for the same work.

• Repairs being considered for grant must not be required as a result of the long-term neglect of the property, or as part of routine maintenance. The Trust will not grant-aid emergency or temporary repairs. Where emergency repairs are necessary, these may be carried out at the owner's expense in advance of a scheme of repair being approved for the purposes of grant.

• Grant for repair work will never be awarded prior to an applicant's purchase of a property, and should therefore never enter the equation when calculating a purchase price.

• Work must comply with specifications approved by the Trust, and grant may be withheld or refused where compliance has not been achieved.

• Recipients of grant assistance are expected to maintain and insure the repaired property.

• GCTW may seek to recover grant if the property is sold within 10 years of the grant-aided work being completed.

Application Procedure

• Make a preliminary enquiry with the Trust (by telephone, fax, email or letter) to determine whether the proposed works are eligible in principle for grant aid, and to establish which type of grant application should be made. To determine whether your properties lies within the Glasgow West Conservation Area, please refer to the Street Index. Please note that parts of Partick may also be eligible for Small Grant Scheme assistance, and the Trust should be contacted to confirm addresses. Once eligibility for any grant scheme is confirmed, please complete the Grant Enquiry Form and send it to the Trust at the address below.

• Obtain the appropriate application form (Small Grant Scheme, Building Repair Scheme or Townscape Enhancement) from the Trust, and submit the completed form with all required supporting documents, usually including an architect or surveyor's report and three estimates for the proposed works.

• The Trust will acknowledge receipt of the application within 5 working days and notify you of the likely time of its assessment, and later the outcome of that assessment. Depending on the complexity of the project, it may take some months for all of the stages to be gone through and a scheme of works agreed.

This is the official website of the

Glasgow Conservation Trust West
30 Cranworth Street
Glasgow G12 8AG
(0141) 339 0092

updated May 2005.

Comments or queries are welcome. Please eMail to: mail@glasgowwest.org