What is a Building Preservation Trust?
We are all aware of buildings of historic or architectural interest which for one reason or another become derelict or neglected. Sometimes such dereliction gets to the point where demolition becomes inevitable, resulting in the loss of a small part of our heritage, while in the process casting a blight on surrounding buildings and discouraging other owners from looking after their property.
Building Preservation Trusts (BPTs) have been set up all over the country to rescue such buildings which are ‘at risk’. They are charitable organizations which work principally to high risk, low return historic buildings in which neither existing owners nor other private or commercial interests are prepared to invest.
Most Trusts work in two ways. Firstly they operate on the ‘revolving fund’ principle, whereby buildings are purchased, repaired, and if necessary, adapted to a new use, before being re sold. Any profits made on a sale are then available for re-investment. In recent years this result has been difficult to achieve, given the popularity of bricks and mortar as an investment.
Secondly, they use their good offices to broker a solution for buildings at risk. This might involve funding a feasibility study, talking to owners, potential owners and local authorities. This BPT has been involved in many cases of this sort in the past ten years, successfully enabling such buildings to be re-used.
Funding
BPTs are often able to acquire, repair, adapt and re-sell buildings where the commercial sector has been unable to do so because, having charitable status, they can raise various forms of finance including:
- Low interest loans from The Architectural Heritage Fund
- Donations, gifts in kind and concessionary loans from companies, charitable trusts and individuals.
- Grants from local and central government and English Heritage (although these are becoming increasingly difficult to achieve).
Why do BPTs succeed where others fail?
Working in their own community, BPTs are able to bring pressure to bear on owners and local authority planning departments to take action to rescue a building. BPTs have no need to make a commercial profit; this combined with sources of funding not necessarily available to private or business owners, often makes possible restoration by the Trust itself and thereafter the reuse of buildings which would otherwise still languish.
In addition professional help is often available free of charge, or for a nominal sum.
The Trust will always consider joint ventures with owners of historic buildings.
How our Trust works
The Colchester and North East Essex BPT is run by an executive committee whose members have a wide range of skills upon which it can call. Architectural advice; expertise in the care of historic buildings; wide knowledge of planning, finance and the law: these skills all assist the BPT with its work. The Trust is a charity but it works closely with Colchester Borough Council and Tendring District Council; the former has representation on the committee.The Trust can work with any local authority in North East Essex. It is also available to assist with the repair of any building which a local authority may have to purchase compulsorily.
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