Restoration project

pyrorus

Hi

I've search on here but can't seem to find a full answer so I started this thread. Sorry is its in the wrong place.

First little background info. There is an Edwardian building local to be that has been allowed to run down, the land was then sold and has since stood empty. Planning permission was sort to demolish and rebuild new modern flats in its place. This was rejected on a number of grounds including Bats nesting and the building being provisionally listed on the Councils Buildings of Architectural Merit List.

I've been contacting a few members of the council and have found out "unofficially" the reason its not fully on is due to the poor state of it.

I want to buy the property and restore it. for two reasons. one the house when it was lived in was a gorgeous house and secondly would make a great family house. I work in the construction industry and aware of the hurdles along the road, including conserving the bats.

But this is where I hit a problem. The initial cost. As a private individual I am very limited on additional funding, obviously I can get a mortgage for some of the cost, and have found out about home repair grants (ie loft insulation etc etc) but these would come no where near the full amount I would need.

Ive tried places like the lottery, english heritage, council and googled grants and have hit the same problem. unless I'm a registered charity, npo or the building will become for public use no one in interested in helping save the building.

Therefore, can any one advise how I may proceed, Is it worth looking at setting up a charity or NPO with the profits going to "save the building" then dissolving the charity after (can I do this).

Any advise anyone could give I'd be eternally grateful.

Rus

stephenni1971

I can get a mortgage for some of the cost

You wont get a mortgage for any of the cost unless you can demonstrate you have the funds available to complete.

Also do you really think you will be able to set up a charity and have people donate what must be a pretty large sum of money 'because its a nice building' and 'to save the bats".

If you did complete it what would you do, live in it, sell it? And how would you explain that to everyone who donated? Do you realise the cost of setting up a legal charity/admin trustees etc?

Everybody has some pet project they would love to do but for 99.9% its a dream...

Errata

A really long shot, but there may be something useful here http://www.ecology.co.uk/html/aboutus/casestudies/tumbledown.htm