B.A.R register.

[Anonymous]

I have recently joined SAVE and have now got access to the Buildings At Risk register.

Its very sad, because what I presumed may be the case appears to be the case. I.e. many of these buildings are not decaying because no one wants them, they are decaying because the people that own them will not sell.

As I looked through every country house and farm house / cottage entry for the Midlands, there were very few properties where the owner was looking for a sale. Most would need to be compulsarily purchased.

The text that goes with each of the buildings can pretty much be paraphrased "Its falling down but trying to buy it will be a living hell, and if you are successful in buying it life will become even worse".

So really browsing the register is akin to me admiring a Ferrari F40 in a local car park. It probably isn't for sale, if it was I could not afford it and if I could afford it the running costs would kill me.

Manks

 

[Anonymous]

Yet some buildings are saved - and come off the Registers. It's a slow and uncertain process sure. Some owners can be persuaded to sell, some buildings will never be 'saleable' because of their location, but certainly should be repairable, or at least stabilised.

The purpose of the Buildings at Risk registers and the annual SAVE publication also (EH does the I and II* ones) isn't simply as a sales document - they are campaign documents too, which allow publicity for the plight of historic buildings (and buildings are listed because they are deemed of national architectural and historic importance).

As well as the Registers SAVE campaigns for changes in public policy where buildings are at risk - using any means available. The ongoing DCMS Commons Select Committee Inquiry for example, this week's Darwen Inquiry (Pathfinders), the first conference last May - with another to be held hopefully this year in Bristol - for local authority CO's, legal teams, planning officers, to encourage enforcement action to be taken to save these buildings.

At last year's conference, one case study presented by the local authority officer involved, Eddie Dawson of Allerdale, was that of the Reading Rooms in Allonby, Cumbria, an early Waterhouse building, with a long history of neglect by its owner. It was a particular concern of mine, and a building I helped put on the Register, and it was also featured as Building of the Month on the website.

Allerdale took action against the owner (by which time the roof and gable end had disappeared in a gale) under a little-known about piece of legislation in a Housing Act - and eventually, after many years of neglect and attempts by the owner to have the building demolished (unlisted but a major Conservation Area building) it was put up for sale. The alternative was that the local authority was going to repair and then enforce a sale to recoup the costs.

The new owner I know (as we are in touch) wishes to carry out a sensitive repair. He's now in contact with the 'expert' on Waterhouse, and tracking down pictures and plans of how the building originally looked. It will make a wonderful family home, in a spectacular location and I'm thrilled that it's been saved.

I'm currently involved heavily with another BaR in a local town - one in which SAVE played a major role in helping us locals with advice and letters of objection to a proposed demolition. It's now up for sale/lease, and plans are currently with the local authority for a conversion. It's not the most sensitive scheme I've ever seen, and another SAVE letter has winged its way to the local authority (as well as local objections, mine included, to the details of the plans) but better than demolition, and hopefully the people concerned can be persuaded to amend the plans to something a little more sensitive.

Hexham Station Prosser Shed - another BaR which hasn't as yet been demolished - although permission was granted by our witless local authority - thanks to a very large fuss, and a listing application is still pending. Even if not listed there's now a great deal more awareness of the importance of the building in the Conservation Area, and simply being on the Register gives a building some limelight and that all helps. As with Hexham Ropery - a new use for that historic structure would be welcomed. And Hexham Workhouse, new to the Register.

Another one coming off the Register is Axwell Hall, Gateshead - my great grandfather was estate steward, my grandmother born on the estate - so that's another one I know well, and have been saddened to seen it being left to be vandalised and decay.

DARE Group (who sponsored the V and A SAVE 30 exhibition and book ) are in the process of a major restoration and repair, to tern it into flats with some sensitive enabling development and restoration of the parkland

Local publicity for these buildings is all good - try contacting your local newspaper and asking why there are BaR in the locality, make yourself the point of contact for local heritage issues, join you local Civic Trust, write and ask the local authority what they are going to do to enforce repair... we can all campaign!

As part of the written submission to the DCMS Commons Select Committee Inquiry 'Protecting, preserving and making accessible our nation's heritage' a number of BaR issues have been raised in the SAVE written memoranda. Adam also went along to give oral evidence - the draft of that is available on the http://www.parliament.gov.uk webiste.

The latest SAVE BaR book is now at the printers - after a great deal of hard work by Ela - and features amongst other success stories Gervase Webb's home in Wales and Jon Maine's II* Listed Merchant's House in Shepton Mallet. The details of both those can be accessed via their Personal Profiles part of this website.

 

[Anonymous]

Some local authorities have their own BaR registers, although they don't always publicise the fact. That's how many of the SAVE BaR buildings get put on the Register. SAVE is trying to get the government to make this mandatory - along with Conservation Officers. Many local authorities don't have those either, and many which do don't have very highly qualified ones. It's a skilled job which requires trained professionals.

If anyone is seriously interested in a BaR, then contact with the local authority is a good idea. While compulsory purchse is possible, no local authority will wish to be left with a building in need of repair and no money with which to repair it!

However, if a prospective owner is in sight, either an individual or a Building Prervation Trust, then a 'back to back' agreement can at times be made, whereby the prospective owner agrees to purchase the building if the local authority makes a CPO.

That is how the SAVE Trust got Castle House. A very long term repair and no-one's suggesting it will be easy, but very worthwhile.

 

[Anonymous]

Evelyn, do you mean the BAR conference at Derby University? I was there too.

 

[Anonymous]

It was indeed at Derby. Hopefully there may be another in Bristol - possibly May 2006.