£2 million for rural historic buildings

A new grant scheme is being piloted this year in five national parks, offering funding for land managers to restore their historic farm buildings and prevent them from falling out of use. The Historic Building Restoration Grant is being piloted in Dartmoor, Lake District, Northumberland, Peak District and Yorkshire Dales national parks with £2 million of funding available.

Owners can apply for a grant offering 80% towards the cost of restoration which can include replacing the roof, weatherproofing the exterior, or other restoration works so that the building can be used again for farming purposes. The scheme is open for applications until 31 January 2019; once approved, agreement holders will have two years to complete the works. Applicants will have the opportunity to work with national park advisors to develop the required management plan for delivering the restoration.

Dartmoor National Park has a rich cultural heritage of historic farmsteads which chart a long farming tradition and have profoundly shaped the landscape of Dartmoor as we see it today. While most of the historic farm buildings date from the 19th century, Dartmoor has one of the highest concentrations of 17th century and earlier farmstead buildings in England. For more information go to ‘conservation work’ at www.dartmoor.gov.uk