36 C O N T E X T 1 1 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 0 provide a clear indication that this source of funding, like so many, is coming under sustained pressure. Likewise, the DoE Planning Service conservation area grant, available only to properties eligible for THI funding, has been reduced from a high of £500,000 a year to £100,000 a year for the coming year, to be shared among all the active THIs in Northern Ireland. Town Centre Living Initiative (TCLI) funding, similar to LOTS (Living OverThe Shop) and available through the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, was extended to cover Portaferry properties in 2009. However, the funding was withdrawn shortly thereafter, then subsequently reinstated. The future of this funding remains uncertain, with no firm commitment beyond 2010. An application has been submitted for funding through the Regional Development Programme. This is yet to be determined. Likewise, funding for building preservation trusts has been thrown into some doubt, with a potentially significant reduction in the grant available through the Northern Ireland Environment Agency NGO (non-government agency) grant scheme. Administered by the Architectural Heritage Fund, the grant provides financial assistance to those wishing to set up building preservation trusts in Northern Ireland. It provides funding for charitable organisations, such as BPTs, for the acquisition of listed historic buildings that are on the Built Heritage at Risk Register (BHARNI). Due to budgeting pressures within the DoE, the grant available is likely to be reduced, possibly by as much as 50 per cent to £250,000 for the current financial year. The Stage 1 application was submitted to the HLF in November 2009. The total THI development cost is estimated to be £3 million. There is, however, considerable competition for THI funding. The HLF received applications for the latest THI call totalling £30 million, against an annual THI grant budget of only £10 million. If successful, conservation consultants will be appointed to work alongside the PRL project manager to develop the project over the course of the following 12 months, with submission of the Stage 2 application in spring 2011. During this period, with the assistance of the PRT, PRL will set up the Portaferry Building Preservation Trust, enter into negotiations with property owners and identify its first BPT project.TheTHI is programmed to begin in summer 2011 and to be completed by summer 2016. special townscape character of the area, by bringing the large number of underused or vacant buildings back into full sustainable use and by improving the visual appearance of the historic town centre fabric and public realm. The initiative will act as a catalyst for future investment in Portaferry from both the public and private sectors both within the conservation area and its wider environs. It will also encourage other property owners to invest in their historic properties, to implement timely maintenance programmes, to undertake appropriately sensitive repairs and to use traditional building materials and techniques. The initiative will promote learning and participation in heritage, in line with HLF objectives. The proposed Portaferry Townscape Heritage Area encompasses a relatively large area. It identifies 27 eligible properties, three eligible gap sites and an eligible area of public realm. During the preparation of the THI application, the project manager and directors of Portaferry Regeneration recognised the value to be achieved if they were to establish a building preservation trust in Portaferry, as a new delivery vehicle to undertake a suitable project alongside the townscape heritage initiative. The Prince’s Regeneration Trust organised a half-day briefing session for the PRL directors and Portaferry Community Collective. Representatives from Hearth BPT had previously met PRL and considered the possibility of undertaking a BPT project in Portaferry. However, through the experiences of other similar projects such as the Lisburn Building Preservation Trust and the Palatine Trust in Killough, it was recognised that the additional funding which THI could bring to a BPT project would greatly enhance the viability of such projects. There is a large number of potentially suitable BPT properties within the proposed Portaferry THI area. These include four listed buildings which are included on the Built Heritage at Risk Register and thereby potentially eligible for NIEA grant towards their acquisition by the BPT. Identifying sources of THI match funding is increasingly challenging, with the size and number of funding pots now much diminished and their long-term availability in doubt. The recently implemented cap of £250,000 on NIEA historic building grants should not directly affect potential THI projects, but it does Nick Brown is projects adviser to the Prince’s Regeneration Trust and chairman of the IHBC Northern Ireland branch. 4–6 and 7 High Street
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