The Empty Homes Agency SAVE has recently come into contact with this excellent organisation, whose objective is simply to fill as many of the country's 750,000 empty houses as possible. This is of course particularly important as we argue over where to put 3.8 million new homes in the next 15 years. The EHA approaches the issue in two ways. First, by encouraging local authorities to produce empty property strategies and, second, by supporting local groups in their efforts to put individual building back in occupation. The EHA's work is to be warmly encouraged. Many of the buildings it uses as examples of its work are listed buildings; most are attractive and well built. Moreover, the EHA has recognised the potential of converting empty commercial buildings to housing. This, of course, is something SAVE has championed since our work on mills and warehouses began twenty years ago. We hope to support the Agency as it draws up strategies for tackling such vacant buildings. Buildings at Risk in Focus: Cemetery Chapels Whilst all buildings at risk have a different story to tell there are a number of recurring themes. One such is the problem of redundant churches and chapels and, in particular, cemetery chapels. Redundant churches and chapels are always problematic. As a building type they do not readily lend themselves to secular conversion. Their size can be one problem - either too large or too small - and inserting subdivisions is difficult to achieve successfully without adversely effecting the primary internal characteristic of the building, the lofty unified space. However, with skill and imagination it can be done, and there have been a number of very good conversions in the past. Unfortunately, cemetery chapels suffer further complications from their rather morbid associations and their location in sometimes still active graveyards. The majority of these cemetery chapels were built in the 19th century in the new suburban cemeteries that were spaciously and hygenically laid out to relieve the chronically overcrowded ancient parish graveyards of the dead of the rapidly expanding population. However, now that many of these cemeteries are full and burial practices have changed many chapels currently stand vacant and decaying, causing serious concern to the local authorities who in most cases own then. So what should be done? Many of the buildings, conceived as landmarks within a designed landscape, are of a very high architectural standard, but have slipped into an appalling condition because of a lack of maintenance over many years and this has inevitably led to serious structural problems. The unusual looking chapel pictured is in Salford. It was built in 1903 but has now been vacant for about 18 years. A few years ago it seemed that a use had been identified for the building when it was suggested that it be used to store funereal urns. This unfortunately fell through, and now the building is in a very bad condition and partially obscured by rampant ivy. The local authority would desperately like to find a solution for the building, but its location in the centre of the cemetery severely limits the possibilities for future use. SAVE will be delving deeper into the issue in the next few months to identify the causes, the problems and suggest practical solutions. Meanwhile many neglected buildings remain in peril. If you know of any decaying examples please let SAVE know. Equally, we are keen to hear of any that have been successfully adapted for reuse. Preventive Maintenance - the future of conservation A pet subject of SAVE for twenty years - although we still haven't found a way to make it sound sexy. Nevertheless it should be one of the cornerstones of conservation policy in this country. Since the war, UK conservation has been based on a philosophy of repair - reducing the backlog of repair that sometimes stretches back centuries. There is no doubt that this was necessary, but it is a strategy that pumps money late in the decay cycle when costs are high and intervention is often necessarily drastic. It would be much more cost effective, sustainable and far less intrusive if we spent money preventing decay, by undertaking regular maintenance, rather than repairing the damage caused by decay years later. The challenge in the future will be to ensure that the millions of pounds of public and private money spent repairing historic buildings is not wasted because of little more blocked drains and missing slates. The concept is simple: prevention is better than cure; crisis prevention is more sustainable than crisis management. If some of the millions spent each year on repairs were diverted to preventative maintenance it will reduce the need to spend huge sums on repairs in years to come. Our inspiration is the Dutch system of Monumentwacht, by which teams of trained "monument watchers" in fully equipped vans make annual inspections and carry out minor repairs to participating buildings. Owner pay 50% of the costs, and the state the other half. The Dutch have recognised that repair grants are not enough to secure the future of an historic building and, indeed, that grant aiding repair work is almost worthless without a proper maintenance programme Therefore, recipients of repair grants in Holland are now obliged to join up to Monumentenwacht. SAVE has for some time advocated a UK Monumentenwacht, as a part of a newly holistic approach to supporting both repair and maintenance. In the last year we have made greater efforts than ever to spread the gospel, highlighting the concept in submissions to the seemingly endless consultation papers spilling forth from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, and English Heritage. The HLF has shown real interest in the idea, and in its recent draft Strategy Plan preventative maintenance was mentioned as a possible future initiative. We believe that this amounts to a very significant breakthrough. It is the first time a powerful national body with a conservation remit, and serious money to spend, has made such a declaration (although EH is, and always has been, empowered to grant aid maintenance). Following a recent conference in Bath a working group has been formed to establish a UK Monumentenwacht, beginning with a pilot project based in Bath. More news as the project develops over the year. In the meantime, if you are interested in getting involved, or are aware of any local initiatives which have a regular, programmed maintenance aspect, please get in touch with SAVE. For February 1999 - News from the Secretary Click Here