Decision details

Approval is being sought to commit £150,550 of external funding to the Capital Programme. The funding is from Historic England and is a grant payment to a specific property owner in Ramsgate as a contribution to their capital renovation costs for a listed building in the High Street Heritage Action Zone (HS HAZ) area.

The property owners have delivered considerable renovations to a long term vacant and dilapidated space, and have provided a source of funding which is acting as the wider HS HAZ match funding. The grant payment has been approved by Historic England and all legal documents have been provided and signed off by all parties.

1.  To approve a supplementary General Fund capital budget of £150,550 for a High Street Heritage Action Zone grant payment, to be wholly funded from external grant contributions;

2.  To give delegated authority to the Director of Regeneration pay the grants on the basis of the sign off from Historic England;

3.  To give delegated authority to the Director of Law and Democracy, in consultation with the Director of Regeneration, to sign the contract documents and any other necessary documents to give effect to this decision.

The HS HAZ programme required match funding from the areas to unlock further investment. In agreement with Historic England the match funding for Ramsgate has come from a private sector source through the renovation of their long term vacant, dilapidated, listed property in the conservation area. Although there has been a delay on the wider HS HAZ programme, Historic England have approved the payment of a grant to the private property owner as part of this project.

The total capital grant to be paid is £150,550, which will need to be allocated through the capital programme. The Council has received 90% of the grant payment, with the final 10% to be applied for and paid once the works have been completed and signed off by Thanet District Council and Historic England. This is estimated to be at the end of June. 

The building has been restored with consideration of its listed status and will provide a focal point and improvement in the town centre. The works have enabled the building to be safely brought back into use.

This project delivers against the Council’s priority for Growth.

The alternative not to commit £150,550 of external funding to the capital programme was not considered an option as there would be a requirement to return the funding and the agreed payment would not be made to the match funders for the wider HS HAZ programme.