Background

Each year Council provides, within the budget, funding for heritage protection.  This funding is made available in acknowledgement of the restrictions placed on buildings, identified within the District Plan, as having heritage value and in effort to preserve, in particular, the façade and streetscape of the central business districts of the towns and townships within the district.

The funding acknowledges the often substantial sums expended by the owners of these buildings in their efforts to preserve and maintain the buildings and in so doing preserving our architectural history.

Any assistance provided is intended to encourage and to assist with preserving the authenticity of the structures and appearance of the exterior of the buildings concerned particularly with respect to colour schemes.

Application for Funding

Application for funding shall be in writing and made to Council’s Planning Unit. The decision on the request will be made by either the Chief Executive; the Group Manager Regulatory Services; or the District Planning Manager.

If your funding is approved, you will be allocated funding from the budget. Once the applied for works are completed, and have been sighted, you can apply for your allocation to be refunded to you.

Application can be made at any time.

Enquiries:

Criteria for Funding

Within budget, funding will be available for this work subject to the following criteria:

• The building concerned will be identified within the District Plan as having heritage value.
• The fund will be used for preserving the external appearance of a building or structural work only.
• Preference will be given to applications for work that gives greatest benefit to the public generally.
• Preference is expressed for giving some assistance to the preservation of several buildings rather than significant funding to the preservation of one particular building.
• The above item, relating to the allocation of funding, shall not preclude the bulk funding of a particular project where evidence is provided and where Council is convinced that the building concerned is of such value as to warrant expenditure on it, at the expense of other potential projects.
• By way of general guidance the assistance provided will normally be restricted to the sum of $5,000.
• Applications to Council for Heritage Protection funding assistance must be made in writing on the prescribed form which is available to download from the right.
• The Heritage Protection Fund provides grants to individuals and groups to protect historic heritage.
• Applications can be made at any time.