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ANNUAL REVIEW 2007-08 CONTENTS 1 Chairman’s foreword 3 Chief Executive’s review 6 Completed projects 22 Projects under development 44 Register of Building Preservation Trusts 47 AHF financial information 52 About the AHF 54 About the UK Association of Preservation Trusts FRONT COVER: Blackburn House, West Lothian, Scotland (see p.16) INSIDE FRONT COVER: Perrott’s Folly, Edgbaston, Birmingham (see p.8) CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD It was a pleasure and I have already had the opportunity, together honour to be invited with some of my colleagues on the Council to become Chairman of Management, to join AHF staff in visiting of The Architectural a number of projects in different areas of the Heritage Fund. country, and I am looking forward to meeting The task has been more Building Preservation Trusts and other made much easier by groups over the next year. I think it is my predecessor Jane Sharman who has important both for our Council members done so much to ensure that the organisation and also our clients that we do visit projects was ready to meet the challenges ahead. on a regular basis, as there is no better way Although I was already aware of the work to learn about the issues faced by a trust. of voluntary sector organisations in restoring historic buildings, through my involvement I have also been pleased to see that many of with the Stowe House Preservation Trust our projects have an active involvement from and as a former Regional Chairman of the the local authority. Having been involved with National Trust, I have been impressed with the planning committee of my own authority, the number and variety of charities striving South Northamptonshire, for many years, to find a sustainable future for our heritage I know only too well some of the barriers, around the UK, supported by the AHF. perceived or real, to working with local government, so the AHF’s role as a potential The projects we fund encounter many enabler of this relationship is a very valuable obstacles along the way, and the current one. The conference we are organising in financial uncertainty surrounding the property November, jointly with our partners in the market is another challenge for our clients Agencies Co-ordinating Group, includes to overcome. At the AHF we have had to deal sessions specifically intended to further with the first capital loss we have suffered on the partnerships between the public and a loan for many years, as a direct result of the voluntary sectors, with speakers such as fall in the value of residential properties, and Barry Quirk, Chief Executive of the London this has meant that we have posted a larger Borough of Lewisham, and Sir Richard than expected deficit for the financial year. Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council. However, we are fortunate in having had generous donations to our Endowment Fund This Annual Review shows that there is still TOP: The Compton Organ, The Plaza, over the last few years, in particular from an encouraging amount of activity and that Stockport (see p.28) Historic Scotland, so our ability to lend will projects continue to get underway and be ABOVE: not be affected in the short term. Nonetheless completed, and we will do all we can to Blackburn House, Near Livingston, West Lothian (see p.16) we are watching the situation carefully, support that process over the next year. BOTTOM LEFT: particularly where we are asked to lend Restored ironwork, Victoria Baths money for a residential development, and (Phase I), Manchester (see p.33) we will exercise appropriate caution in our decision-making. John Townsend Chairman October 2008 1 2 Lochgelly Miners’ Institute, Fife (see p.18) CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S REVIEW This is the fifth Our lending fund totals nearly £13million introduction I have and we are therefore in the very fortunate position of being able to survive one such written for The deficit without any adverse consequences in Architectural the short term. However, this loss, coupled Heritage Fund’s with the continuing uncertainties around the true value of residential development, Annual Review , and it is the first means we must be prudent and exercise the which is having to reflect on a highly caution which would be expected of us by our challenging property market and external funders and regulators, such as the Charity Commission. We are therefore taking TOP: the impact that has already had on a number of steps to protect our lending The Minister for Europe, External Affairs & Culture, our operations. As our Chairman, fund – the AHF’s key asset – against any Linda Fabiani, with Ian Lush, further hits of this nature. We are working AHF Chief Executive and John Townsend, has said in his John Townsend, AHF Chairman at with our clients to ensure that this does not Foreword, the downturn in the the Scottish Parliament reception. prevent us in any way from continuing to BOTTOM LEFT: residential market, and in particular support their work, but it may mean that Gracehill Old School, Gracehill, Co. Antrim (see p.35) in that for apartment developments, in some cases we will be more demanding in terms of the information we require and has led to our having to provide the security we always insist on. The market for a considerable sum on one downturn could, of course, provide some project in the Midlands, which has new opportunities for voluntary sector organisations, as more properties become resulted in a large deficit for the affordable, so we will continue to monitor financial year. the situation carefully. Turning to more positive matters, we have just celebrated 30 years of working in Scotland with a reception at the Scottish Parliament hosted jointly by Alasdair Morgan MSP, Deputy Presiding Officer and the Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture, Linda Fabiani MSP. This brought together representatives of the public, private and voluntary sector and showcased some of the outstanding projects completed by building preservation trusts and other charities in Scotland with the AHF’s support. We are grateful to our Scottish lawyers, Burness LLP, for their support of this event. 3 Later this Autumn we hold a large-scale The umbrella body Heritage Link, of which joint conference with our partners in the I remain Deputy Chair, has been at the Agencies Co-ordinating Group: the Civic forefront of the HPR discussions, and Trust, Institute of Historic Building has led a number of significant events Conservation, Prince’s Regeneration Trust and consultation responses to feed in to and UK Association of Preservation Trusts. the process. Through Heritage Link my I am particularly pleased that we have been involvement with the London Organising able to take this event to a BPT venue, the Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic wonderful Monastery of St Francis, in Gorton, Games in the plans for the Cultural Olympiad Manchester, and we look forward to a leading up to the London 2012 Olympics has stimulating and enjoyable two days there increased, and I am pleased to say that the on 13 and 14 November. launch of the Cultural Olympiad at the beginning of September included Former Minister of the Environment, Arlene The heritage world in England and Wales ‘Discovering Places’, a major project around Foster; former Chief Executive of Environment & Heritage Service Northern Ireland, Richard has been preoccupied with the completion all aspects of heritage, the built and natural Rogers; and AHF Chief Executive, Ian Lush and publication of the long-awaited Heritage environments, which I lead on behalf of signing the new funding agreement Protection Reform bill (HPR), which brings Heritage Link in partnership with CABE, together the consent and listing regimes and Natural England and Leeds Metropolitan clears up many anomalies in the sometimes University. A year ago our sector was not arcane systems. The bill is welcome, and we included in the Cultural Olympiad, so this have been keen to make that point in is a huge step forward and an opportunity submissions to Government and the to see some real benefits for the heritage Opposition parties, but equally keen to say world from London’s hosting of the Games. that without adequate resources to bring about its reforms, it will be in danger of One of the most significant achievements for failing to meet its key objectives. This is the AHF during the year was the signing of a particularly true when one looks at the partnership agreement with the Government new responsibilities laid at the door of in Northern Ireland to manage a new funding local authorities in England (the position is stream for historic buildings. This is the first different in Wales), and sets them against time the NI Government has worked with already declining support for conservation a non-Government body in this way, and staff and the financing of measures such it is an honour for the AHF to have been as compulsory purchase orders. I had the chosen to run this fund. The agreement opportunity to discuss this with the Minister was signed by the then Environment of State, Margaret Hodge, live on Radio 4’s Minister, Arlene Foster, and myself at the ‘You and Yours’ earlier this year and we will start of a major heritage and regeneration continue to lobby on this issue. conference in Belfast in May. The new fund, ABOVE: The Catstrand, £500,000 per annum, is mainly intended to Dumfries and Galloway (see p.17) offer grants to charities to acquire listed BOTTOM RIGHT: Portencross Castle, buildings at risk in order to rescue them, North Ayrshire (see p.36) and we have already had a very good level of interest.