Conservation and its funding

The whole World Heritage Site is protected by conservation area status. Liverpool City Council has a statutory duty to enhance the special architectural and historic character of all its conservation areas and has policies within the Liverpool Unitary Development Plan to do so. 

In addition, over 250 buildings within the Site have been placed on the statutory list of buildings of architectural or historic interest. 

Planning control applies to all works, both internal and external, that would affect their special interest or their setting. Again, Liverpool has appropriate policies for this set out in the Liverpool Unitary Development Plan.

A government White Paper 'Heritage Protection in the 21st Century' (March 2007) proposes major changes, but until those changes are made, the existing system and legislation will remain.

Townscape Heritage Initiative
Liverpool City Council and English Heritage led the formation of the Liverpool WHS Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) for Buildings At Risk, which is a programme of assistance designed to repair historic buildings and bring historic floor space back into use. 

The principal funders of the THI are the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Northwest Development Agency, although Liverpool City Council, English Heritage and the Single Regeneration Budget have also contributed to a public pot of almost £4.5m.

The THI has been established to provide additional funding for the conservation of historic buildings in parts of the Castle Street and Duke Street Conservation Areas. 

The THI started at the end of 2005 and will run until 2010, with the aim of refurbishing 45 buildings in the Site and Buffer Zone. 

The THI aims to fill the financial gap where the cost of repairs exceeds the end value of the property. 

The HLF monitors planning applications that affect the THI areas and expects that high quality new developments, together with the exemplary standards of conservation work, should preserve and enhance the historic character of the areas. 

Liverpool City Council has given a commitment to raise the profile of the built conservation amongst members of the public and building professionals.

For further details of the THI contact Peter Hoey on 0151 2343 3021 or peter.hoey@liverpool.gov.uk 

Outline application form (PDF [158.4Kb]. Download time 36 seconds based on a 56k modem. Will open a new browser window.)

THI Guidance Notes (PDF [155.7Kb]. Download time 36 seconds based on a 56k modem. Will open a new browser window.)

Heritage & Design Policies - Adopted UDP (Nov 2002) (PDF [396.5Kb]. Download time 1 minutes 32 seconds based on a 56k modem. Will open a new browser window.)

Other Grants
English Heritage has a national grant scheme for the repair and conservation of historic buildings, monuments and designed landscapes, although to qualify, a building would normally have to be a grade I or II* listed building. 

For further details, visit http://www.english-heritage.org.uk 

"A government White Paper, Heritage Protection for the 21st Century (March, 2007), proposes major changes to the legislation, procedures and classification for the historic environment in England, but the existing system and legislation will remain until those changes are made."