Thursday 19 April 2018

Restoring historic farm buildings

A new grant scheme offering funding to restore historic farm buildings in National Parks is being piloted this year. The Historic Building Restoration Grant is being piloted in certain areas around the country, including Northumberland, with the aim of saving iconic and historic farm buildings in English National Parks from falling out of use. Owners of these buildings can apply for a grant offering 80% of the cost of restoration, including replacing the roof, weather proofing the exterior, or other restoration works so that the building can be used again for farming purposes. The scheme is open for applications until 31stJanuary 2019, and once approved, the work must be completed within two years. I welcome this scheme, which will not only preserve our rural history and culture, but will also regenerate historic buildings for use today, and I encourage building owners to apply for a grant.