Buildings at risk

How to preserve buildings at risk

It is always the first priority to ensure that listed structures are wind and weather tight and structurally sound or, in the case of ruinous structures or monuments, consolidated to prevent further deterioration resulting from being exposed to the elements.

This ensures that decay is reduced in the short term, but it is not considered a long term solution.

Heritage at Risk is broadly described as those buildings, structures or historic parks that are most at risk of being lost as a result of neglect, decay or inappropriate development.

They can be occupied or unoccupied buildings, monuments, garden statues of historic interest, red telephone boxes, milestones and agricultural buildings to name only a few examples.

Finding a viable use for a building or structure will always help to ensure its into the future, even if sometimes this requires the building to be sensitively converted to another use.

In the case of ruins and monuments, this may involve management and providing better public access.

Once a building is fully repaired and its future secured it can be removed from the at risk register.

To prevent a building from becoming 'at risk', it is important to keep on top of maintenance such as clearing gutters of leaves and debris and to address issues such as rainwater leaks as soon as a problem arises.

Grant aid

There is a limited amount of Grant Aid assistance available to owners of historic buildings and structures that are on the national or the local Heritage at Risk Register and lie within Broadland District.

Buildings which are brought to our attention and may warrant adding to the buildings at risk register if repairs are not carried out, or where reinstatement of original features where historic alterations have resulted in harm, such as replacement windows, are also eligible for grant assistance.

This reflects the need for these buildings to receive specialist attention and a high standard of workmanship.

Works that might be considered for grant aid include:

• re-thatching
• re-roofing
• repairs to original features
• structural surveys
• specialist reports

Please note that a grant cannot be offered for work which has already been carried out or started without prior approval.

For more information about what buildings are considered to be at risk or how to apply for a grant, please contact the Heritage and Design Officers using the details below: