Update on the administration of funds for the 2010/11 financial year
Following the September 4th earthquake in Christchurch the Character Housing Maintenance Grant Fund is currently on hold pending further review as to whether this fund will operate in its existing form or if the fund will be directed towards assisting the earthquake recovery of character buildings. It is hoped that decisions concerning the administration of the fund will be made in the following weeks.
Introduction
The Council resolved to prepare a Character Housing Maintenance grant policy with a budget from 2005/2006 to be applied for a period of five years. This was not achieved in 2005/2006 but is now intended to be implemented for a period of four years from 2006/2007, at which time a review of the grant process and success will be undertaken. The grants are intended to provide a small financial contribution towards the external upgrading and maintenance of individual family homes which have a distinctive visual character and make a key contribution to the quality of the local streetscape and the community identity.
Selection guidelines
Grants will be allocated with consideration being given to the following qualities:
1. The house was originally built as a single or two-family residence prior to 1945.
2. The house makes a key contribution to the visual character and quality of the surrounding streetscape and adjoining houses and settings of the local area.
3. The house is not presently listed on the Christchurch City Plan heritage list, but demonstrates the potential for further or continuing appropriate character enhancement.
4. Character houses will be identified for any or all of the following contributory qualities:
- Age and community association.
- Distinctive architectural design appropriate to the age of the house.
- Authentic use of materials and craftsmanship.
- For its contribution to the residential character of the local streetscape.
- For being recognised by the community as a local landmark.
- for its association with other character houses in the local street.
5. The house is in a fair to good condition and has retained many of its original external features (eg external doors and windows, verandahs and features, roof line and roof features, turrets and original external cladding).
6. Building works shall ensure that the houses will continue to contribute to the character of the streetscape through conservation and the ongoing maintenance of the building. The use of inappropriate materials or additional details which are not representative of the age or architectural style of the house will not be considered.
7. Houses which contribute to the character of a Special Amenity Area (SAM), a Neighbourhood Improvement Plan area, a NZHPT registered Historic Area or other identified special residential shall be given particular consideration.
8. Painting schemes must be in historically appropriate colours related to the age of the house.
Conditions of a grant
1. External maintenance works to the house only will be considered, where these works are visible from a public place. Improvements to fencing, landscaping, garages or out buildings will not be considered.
2. Maintenance will include repair, replacement of deteriorated materials or missing architectural details (where the original form is able to be determined), and includes wall, veranda and roofing replacement, repair and re-painting. The cost of re-painting or re-roofing the whole of the exterior of the house may be considered for a grant.
3. Grants for character houses shall be for a maximum of 10 per cent of the external maintenance works to a maximum grant of $5,000 exclusive of GST.
4. If the house is assessed against the City Plan heritage significance criteria as being of sufficient heritage value then the owner shall agree in writing to the subsequent inclusion of the property in the City Plan heritage listing.
5. Recipients of grants shall provide to the Council written confirmation that they will not apply for a consent for demolition or removal of the house for a period of not less than ten years from the date of receipt of the grant. Alternatively, with the agreement of the applicant a conservation covenant will be prepared by the Council to protect the house from demolition or removal for an agreed period of time. The covenant will be signed and registered against the property title. The costs of preparation of the covenant document and the registration shall be met by the Council.
6. The house is covered by a current replacement or indemnity insurance policy.
7. Owing to limited funds, owners of character houses will be eligible to apply for only one grant per property.
8. That, should a property which has been the subject of a grant be sold within five years of the maintenance grant being made, the grant be returned to the Council’s funding pool for subsequent “character home” reallocation.
Management and administration
1. The Strategy and Planning Group shall advertise for character house grant applications at the beginning of each financial year.
2. Owners shall submit a completed application form to the group with the following documents:
Description, specifications and/or plans for the scope of work
Provision of colour chips for painting schemes.
Two independent cost estimates or quotations to be provided covering the scope of work.
Current colour photographs of the property as existing from the street and/or public areas. Photographs shall cover all aspects of the scope of the works proposed for the house. The photographs of the house shall be taken in good light conditions and the views of the house shall not be obscured by trees or other buildings on the site.
Evidence shall be provided of house insurance covering the year of application.
Incomplete applications will not be considered for a grant.
3. All applications received by the Strategy and Planning Group will be reported to the respective Community Boards. The Community Boards will review the applications based on the Grants Policy guidelines and conditions and make recommendations to a Character Housing Grants Panel consisting of one member from each of the Community Boards and a representative from the Strategy and Planning Group according to the selection guidelines and assessment criteria in this policy.
4. Grant approvals for selected character houses will be notified to all applicants by the Community Boards.
5. All grants are subject to the conditions of the character housing grants policy.
6. All consents must be obtained, and the works shall be carried out according to the agreed scope of work and any requirements of the consents. If consents for the works cannot be obtained then the grant approval shall lapse.
7. The Strategy and Planning group shall be notified that works are completed, and receipts for the work shall be submitted with updated colour photographs of the house on or before 1 June of the financial year in which grant approval has been granted.
8. Payment will be made after certification by the Strategy and Planning Group to the grant recipient by 30 June of that year.
Monitoring and grant effectiveness
1. The Character Housing Grants Panel shall meet at the end of each year of the programme to review the achievements and effectiveness of the Character House Grants.
2. The criteria addressed in terms of the grant fund programme should include:
Community acceptance.
Improvements in street amenity and local identity Improvements in the external appearance and visual qualities of the character houses for which grants have been provided.
Increase in the retention of character houses in the area, including houses which have not received grants.
Effectiveness of the management and administration of the programme.
3. The review meeting of the Character Housing Grants Panel at the end of year 4 shall report on the effectiveness of the programme, and recommend whether the grant programme should be continued.
Council
4 May 2006
