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Establishing a trust

Quite a number of endangered buildings have been saved by local people who have set up a building preservation trust, acquired the building, restored it and sometimes resold it. Such trusts can obtain special low interest loans, and grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage, Cadw and Historic Scotland. Excellent guidance on this is available from the Architectural Heritage Fund and the Association of Preservation Trusts (see further info) who will be able to tell you if there is already a local trust in existence (there are about 150 all over the UK). Quite often these trusts are on the lookout for new buildings to restore and may have some resources at their disposal. In any event, they should be able to provide you with good advice.

Do not, however, underestimate the problems you may encounter in taking on a building yourself. Delays in obtaining consents and the difficulty of securing grants can add considerably to the cost. It may be that the best solution is to find an individual or local entrepreneur who is enamoured of the building and willing and keen to make a first class job of it. Think carefully before you leap!