Maintenance and Repair

The built heritage is an irreplaceable and finite resource, which must be preserved for the enjoyment of current and future generations.  Buildings have artistic, technological, cultural and emotive importance, both to individuals and to the wider public.  The loss of buildings of architectural or historic interest is therefore considered to be a matter of national importance and is of public interest.

Historic buildings by nature are vulnerable to decay, so it is not surprising that some buildings are under threat from falling into disrepair or becoming redundant.  If properly maintained however, buildings should survive for the enjoyment of many generations.

Maintenance and repairs cost less if done regularly - if they are put off, the problem will only get worse.  If ignored decay can spiral out of control and beyond the financial reach of owners simply as a result of apathy or deliberate neglect.

Use

The most common types of building on the Borough's Buildings at Risk register are those which are either disused or under-used, such as traditional farm buildings and ancillary structures such as boundary walls.  The least common types are those which have an economically productive use, most notably dwellings.

If a building has no use there is less incentive to maintain or repair it, and thus empty or under-used buildings are very vulnerable to decay.  Vegetation can become overgrown, gutters become blocked, windows get broken and intruders can cause damage.  Whilst efforts can be made to reduce these risks, it is very important for buildings to have a viable use, in order to generate both income and a desire to maintain the fabric.

Finding a new use for a building, or finding a way of reinstating its intended use, is often the long-term answer to securing the preservation of a Building at Risk.  However, some buildings do not have an economic use, or can not be given one, such as monuments, boundary walls and small farm buildings, and in these cases the only option is to operate an adequate maintenance regime, and to carry out repairs as when necessary.

Why do buildings become at risk?

There is no single reason why buildings become
'at risk', as each case has different circumstances which have led to the buildings' decay.  However there are a number of common factors including:

• the economic use of the building
• the willingness or ability of owners to maintain their buildings
• the level of exposure to the weather
• in-built weaknesses in the building construction or design
• vandalism
• overgrowth of surrounding vegetation

Addressing the reason(s) why a building has got into such a bad condition is an essential part of a repair scheme.  If the cause of the problem is not fixed, then the problem will just return, often quite quickly.  For example, if there is an in-built weakness in the building design, then it either needs to be altered so that it is no longer a problem (e.g. inserting structural ties), or accounted for in the building maintenance regime (e.g. clearing roof valleys and parapets regularly).

The Buildings at Risk Register

During 2001 and 2002, the Borough Council carried out a comprehensive survey of all listed buildings within the Borough, in order to establish their condition and usage.  Curtilage buildings were also included in this survey.  This Buildings at Risk Survey forms the basis of the current Buildings at Risk Register, with each entry being categorised according to the scale shown below.

The Buildings at Risk Register is principally an internal working document at this time, but owners will be notified if and when their buildings are added or removed from this list.

A Building at Risk is normally taken to be a Listed Building that is at risk due to neglect or decay.  This includes curtilage buildings - historic buildings, objects or structures within the curtilage of a listed building.  The definition can very occasionally also apply to an unlisted but notable building within a Conservation Area.

All listed and curtilage Buildings at Risk in the Borough of Basingstoke and Deane are included on the Borough Council's Buildings at Risk Register.  This enables the monitoring, recording, and prioritisation of cases, and is not intended as a 'name and shame' list.

To be removed from the Register, a building normally has to undergo a substantial repair scheme, although this will depend on the extent of decay suffered by the individual building.

How is risk assessed?

Risk is assessed by a combination of condition and occupancy - an empty building can be in relatively good condition but still be rated as vulnerable, simply due to the building's lack of a viable use.  Conversely, a building that is in poor condition but has a viable use, may not necessarily be considered to be at risk, although will normally be monitored as a vulnerable building.

The Borough Council operates an Historic Building Repairs grant scheme which can assist with the cost of some works to repair Buildings at Risk.  The scheme is prioritised towards buildings in public or charitable uses, such as churches, community halls, and buildings owned by building preservation trusts.

The starting point for a grant for a private Building at Risk is an Options Appraisal which we can grant aid up to a maximum sum of £3000.  If that Options Appraisal finds that in-situ repairs with no enabling works such as conversion etc, is the only option available then we can then consider grant aid for the repairs themselves.

In more urgent cases we can sometimes provide grant aid for urgent works.

To learn more about the grant scheme or to make an application, please visit the relevant page of this website, or contact a Conservation Officer directly (see details below).

Securing Repairs

There is no direct legal duty on the owner of a building, not even if it is listed, to maintain or repair their property.  However, the law does afford the Borough Council, as the Local Planning Authority, powers to secure the full repair or urgent preservation of a listed building or notable building within a Conservation Area, through certain legal procedures as set out below.

There is therefore a strong indirect requirement or expectation that owners maintain and repair their buildings to avoid the necessity of formal legal action.

Section 54 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 enables Local Planning Authorities to execute any works which appear to them to be be urgently necessary for the preservation of a listed building in their area.

Before undertaking the works, the Council must give at least seven days notice to the owner of the building that it intends to carry out the urgent works to the building, and must specify what these works are.  The intention is that the owner is spurred into doing the works themselves.  If the works are not done by the owner, the Council can then arrange for the works to be done by its own contractors, and possibly seek to reclaim the cost of the work from the owner through the Courts.

Urgent works can include the following:

• Temporary propping of walls, beams, or even entire buildings
• Temporary roof or wall coverings
• Security measures where repeated illegal intrusions are found to be causing damage to the building

Such works are only ever intended as temporary measures, and will not normally change the building's 'at risk status'.  If full repairs still don't seem to be forthcoming, the Council can then explore the use of a Repairs Notice.

Section 48 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, enables Local Planning Authorities to serve a Repairs Notice on the owner of a listed building specifying those works which it considers reasonably necessary for the proper preservation of the building.

Repairs Notices are not an end to themselves, but are a preliminary step towards serving a Compulsory Purchase Order.  If after two months following the service of the Repairs Notice the specified repairs have not been done, the Council may begin compulsory purchase proceedings on the building.

Further information and guidance

This webpage is designed to answer only general queries.  A number of links to other websites are provided to the left of this page, where there is further guidance and advice on repairing and maintaining historic buildings.

For more detailed guidance or to discuss a particular building, please contact one of the Conservation Officers, who will be happy to help.

T: (01256) 845414
E: neighbourhood.dev@basingstoke.gov.uk