Supporting Local Authority Statutory Action
Historic England offers grants to encourage and support local authorities in the use of their statutory powers to protect historic buildings. We can offer grants towards:
- Underwriting the cost of serving urgent works notices to make sure that urgent work necessary for the preservation of a vacant or partly occupied listed building is undertaken. We encourage local authorities to ensure that urgent works are carried out as soon as the need becomes apparent, rather than waiting until decay is well advanced, but we also encourage authorities to use their powers to stabilise or stem the rate of deterioration of more seriously decayed buildings.
- Underwriting the cost of serving repairs notices on historic buildings which have fallen into a serious and dangerous state of decay. We encourage local authorities to use their powers to reduce the number of listed buildings that are at risk or vulnerable to becoming so.
Eligible projects
Underwriting urgent works notices
Grants to underwrite urgent works notices are available to assist local authorities both to:
- Serve urgent works notices under Section 54 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 on owners who allow historic buildings to fall into an unacceptable state of decay
- Carry out the work required themselves if necessary
Urgent works notice projects must involve Grade I or II* buildings, Grade II buildings within a conservation area or any listed building in London.
Underwriting repairs notices
Grants to underwrite repairs notices are available to assist local authorities to:
- Serve repairs notices under Section 48 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 on owners of a listed building, specifying the works it considers reasonably necessary for the proper preservation of the building.
- In extreme cases, we can also help with the subsequent acquisition of a building under section 47 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, if compulsory purchase proceedings, as a last resort, are deemed necessary.
Grant eligible expenditure can include the cost of professional services bought in by an authority to enable it to serve repairs notices, as well as the acquisition price. We will expect acquisition and onward sale of a property to be substantially self-financing.
We will also expect to be presented with viable proposals for the long-term future of a building before an acquisition grant is considered in detail.
Procurement regulations
Public procurement regulations mean that if more than 50% of a project is publicly funded, applicants to this scheme will have to demonstrate they have appointed any professional advisers in a competitive way. You will also have to tender for the building contract. Please see our Procurement Regulations page for detailed guidance.
How to apply
If you are considering a grant application towards the costs of underwriting an urgent works notice or a repairs notice, please contact your local Historic England office before completing an expression of interest (EOI). They will be able to advise you whether your project is likely to be a priority for support.
Guidance on enforcement action
In conjunction with the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, under our former name English Heritage we published updated guidance on enforcement action to help local authorities make effective use of these powers. Stopping the Rot: A Guide to Enforcement Action to Save Historic Buildings provides step-by-step advice on the use of the main procedures and includes case studies and a selection of specimen letters, notices, schedules and agreements.
