The Stage Two application form is to provide detailed information to allow a decision to be made on whether to award a Property Improvement Grant. Please read these guidance notes as you complete the Stage Two (detailed application) form.
The Old Town Grant Scheme
The Old Town Grant Scheme is part of Hull City Council’s Repurposing the Old Town programme, which is a three-stranded programme of projects designed to revitalise the
Old Town, Hull's historic heart.
Aims and objectives
The overall aim for the Old Town Grant Scheme is to improve both the visual landscape and the quality of commercial premises in the Old Town, and Whitefriargate in particular, in order to make the area more attractive to businesses, visitors and residents.
The primary objective of the Old Town Grant Scheme is to support regeneration of the Old
Town by encouraging small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to occupy vacant premises in the Old Town.
The vision is of the Old Town as an area of thriving café bars, visitor attractions, restaurants and independent retailers making the most of the area’s medieval street layouts and architectural beauty, and of the Old Town standing as a strong economic presence at the east of the modern city centre.
The Property Improvement Grant scheme will support the above aim by providing funds for capital improvements to Old Town shop frontages, other frontage works and internal works to the historic buildings which give the Old Town much of its character.
The scheme will primarily focus on Whitefriargate and the immediately surrounding area but is open to the Old Town area as shown on the map below, as long as applications are considered to contribute to the overall aim of the scheme.

Contacts:
For more information and full grant conditions please contact the Old Town Programme
Team.
Old Town Programme Team
Major Projects and Infrastructure
3 rd
Floor, Earle House
Colonial Street
Kingston-upon- Hull, East Yorkshire
HU2 8JY
E-mail: oldtowngrants@hullcc.gov.uk
Tel: 01482 612565 / 612552

Application Form
Address
Please give the address of the building where the works are to be carried out. If the building comprises several units you can submit one application if all of the works will be carried out under one contract.
Details of the applicant
Please give details of the individual or organisation making the application. If the application is being made by an organisation, please give the organisation’s name and contact details of the individual within the organisation who is responsible for making the application.
Details of property owner
There is no need to fill in this section if you submitted the owner’s details and evidence of support at stage one and there have been no changes since then.
Ownership interest in the property
There is no need to fill in this section if you submitted details and evidence of your ownership interest in the property at stage one and there have been no changes since then.
Joint applications
Where a tenant intends to undertake works to a building, we may require that they make a joint application along with the property owner. If the grant is awarded, the property owner must agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of the grant in the event of the tenant vacating the property. This may mean that, if the property is sold within a specified period of up to ten years after project completion, this responsibility must be passed on to the new owner for the remaining period of the grant.
Professional advisors
If the grant you are applying for is over £28,000 you must appoint an appropriately experienced and qualified advisor to plan and oversee the works through to completion.
Before you appoint an advisor, competitive quotes must be obtained from suitably qualified persons (see cost section below).
We recommend that you appoint an advisor to manage the scheme. Any fees incurred in advance of the final grant being awarded must be done at the applicant’s own risk (see grant process document for more details), but are an eligible cost for awards.
Professional advisors should be members of the following professional bodies, or equivalent:

Architect (RIBA),

Building Surveyor (RICS)

Architectural Technician (CIAT)

Whichever professional advisor you use, you must also check that they are financially viable and capable of running your project. You must also ensure that they are familiar with the current CDM (Construction, Design and Management) legislation.
Description of eligible works
Please include a written description of the works that you are planning to undertake that are eligible for funding. Please note that proposals will be judged on the positive impact they will have on the building as a whole.
External Works (including upper floors)
The following list is not exhaustive but, in general, the Old Town Grant Scheme can fund the restoration and repair of existing external architectural features, including:

windows

porches and doorways

stone and brickwork

roofs, fascias, gutters and rainwater goods
The Old Town Grant Scheme can also fund the repair and reinstatement of shop fronts, including;

Repair/reinstatement traditional wooden shop front, including doors and windows

Repair/reinstatement of wooden sash windows to upper floors (where appropriate)

Creation and installation of new ‘heritage-style’ shop sign

Removal of external roller shutters and installation of internal, open-grill or lattice security shutters
The scheme can also fund the reinstatement of external architectural features that have previously been lost, including

wooden sash windows

historic wooden porches and doorways

façade details (such as decorative stone and brickwork)

historic roofs, fascias, gutters and rainwater goods

traditional shop canopies
There is more detailed guidance on the design of historic shop fronts on the Hull
City Council website (supplementary planning guidance note SPG9: www.hullcc.gov.uk/SPG).
Hull City Council has also prepared draft design guidance for external works to buildings on Whitefriargate which may be useful for anyone planning external works to buildings in the Old Town. This guidance is available from the Old Town
Programme Team.

The preliminaries (scaffolding, setting up, etc) for eligible works can also be grant funded, along with professional advisor fees and statutory consent fees (including Building Control fees). Please note that the scheme can only fund the costs of work that take place after the grant has been awarded. It cannot fund any work that has started on site before the grant has been agreed and the formal contract signed.
Internal Works
The following list is not exhaustive but, in general, the Old Town Grant Scheme can fund the introduction, removal, repair, replacement or restoration of internal architectural features, including:

flooring and ceilings

Structural and partition walls

Electrical wiring/lighting and audio/visual infrastructure

Plumbing and gas fitting

ICT

decorative plasterwork, e.g. cornices

decorative fittings, e.g. dados, panelling, etc.

door and window architrave, doors
In addition to the cost breakdown, please also attach full details of the proposed works.
Details must include:

Location plan

A full specification and schedule of works, which must include details of materials and a method statement

Drawings where required – relevant plans, elevations and cross sections at an appropriate scale

Photographs of elevations and architectural details

Work programme giving timescales
Description of non-eligible works
In some cases the Old Town Grant Scheme funded works may make up part of a wider scheme that also includes works that are ineligible for grant funding, such as partial conversion of a property for residential use. Please include a brief description of any works that you will be carrying out at the same time that will not be grant funded. This information enables us to keep track of the wider impact of the Old Town Grant Scheme on the area.
Vacant floor space
If you told us at Stage One that you are planning to bring vacant floor space back into use as a result of your scheme please give us more details about the intended new use(s) and how this will be achieved. Please also state whether planning permission for a change of use is required. If planning permission is required you will need to submit a copy of the decision record with your application.

Building Regulation Approval
Please give details of any building regulation approvals that are required for the works you are planning.
Building Regulation Approval may be required for works such as:

Replacement of windows and doors

Alterations to roofs and chimneys

Re-roofing of buildings

The creation of new drainage for buildings
Certain requirements under Part L of the Building Regulations may be relaxed for conservation purposes for listed buildings and non-listed buildings within a Conservation
Area (e.g. where the requirements of current building regulations would harm the historic interest of the building). If you are uncertain whether the work you are proposing requires
Building Regulation Consent you should contact Building Control services at Hull City
Council - www.hullcc.gov.uk/buildingregulations
Applying for Building Regulation approval will involve submitting drawings showing the proposed building work, completing the relevant forms (available from the Hull City Council website) and paying a fee. The Building Control team will then assess the proposals, issue approvals when relevant, and inspect the building work as it is carried out. When the work is complete to the satisfaction of Building Control a Completion Certificate is issued.
Please note: If your building is Listed and you carry out works authorised under the
Building Regulations but without Listed Building Consent, and if the works are deemed to detrimentally affect the special interest of the building, it is likely that enforcement action will be taken against you.
Statutory consents
Only complete this section if there have been changes since your Stage One application.
If the proposed works require any statutory consents (such as Planning Permission, Listed
Building Consent and Advertisement Consent) you must gain these in advance of your
Stage Two application and supply copies of the decision notices as supporting documents.
Please include reference numbers on the application form.
Planning Permission
As the whole of the Old Town falls within the Old Town Conservation Area, planning permission may be required for works that affect the external character of your building, including the replacement of windows and doors and alterations to shop fronts, roofs and chimneys. As stated above, a proposed change of use may also require planning permission.
More information about how to apply for planning permission is available from the Hull City Council website ( http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/planning ).

Listed Building Consent
If your building is Listed, internal and external alterations may also require Listed Building consent. If you do not know whether your building is listed or not, you can check this via the Hull City Council website ( www.hullcc.gov.uk/listedbuildings ).
Detailed cost breakdown
Please include a detailed cost breakdown for the eligible works described above.
Depending on the value of the goods or services, you will need to obtain comparable quotes, or tenders to accompany your application. The number of quotes or tenders that you are required to obtain will depend on the value of the works.

For works, goods or services costing £5,000 or less, at least two written quotes must be obtained.

For works, goods or services costing more than £5,000 but less than £50,000, at least three written quotes must be obtained.

For works, goods or services costing more than £50,000 at least three competitive tenders must be obtained through an appropriate tendering process. Tenders should be scored on a quality to cost ratio of 70:30, and this should be made clear in the brief, with a number of quality questions identified.
The Old Town Grant Scheme will normally fund up to 50% of the eligible costs of the repair and restoration works (including non-recoverable VAT). The remaining 50% will need to be provided as match-funding by the applicant.
Please give the costs for each item before VAT and include VAT costs separately in the second column. Please also tell us if you are entitled to recover all or some of the VAT that you pay.
Recoverable VAT is not eligible for grant funding. Details of exemptions for conversion works are available in https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-notice-708buildings-and-construction . Other VAT notices give advice on different exemptions, so if this is likely to apply to your project you are advised to either contact HMRC to discuss the project or employ a VAT advisor.
Programme start and end dates
Please state the estimated start and end dates for the project. Work must start on site within six months of the grant offer unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Old Town
Programme Team in advance. You must complete the works within the stated time period unless Hull City Council agrees in writing to extend this period. The Old Town Programme
Team can discuss timescales with you.
You must inform the Old Town Programme Team immediately of any delays that are likely to cause the project to overrun. Failure to make satisfactory progress within the agreed timescales may result in the grant offer being withdrawn and any grant money that has already been paid being reclaimed.

Training
The Old Town Grant Scheme is keen to support training and engagement opportunities. If you are intending to create any training opportunities as part of your scheme please let us know. This can include everything from creating opportunities for apprentices to work on the scheme, to allowing managed site visits by groups of students or local residents at a suitable time in the project. The Old Town Programme Team can provide support and help with this if required.
Environmental impact
Hull City Council has an interest in what funded schemes will do to reduce negative environmental impacts and, where appropriate, what the difference in the environmental impact of your building will be as a result of the funded works. As discussed above, the requirement for improved environmental performance of historic buildings needs to be balanced against the need to preserve the historic value of the building. This includes the retention of existing historic fabric (including original windows and window glass) wherever possible.
Where appropriate, you should also produce a site waste management plan. All funded works must also consider the following environmental issues:

Renovation works should aim to achieve energy efficiency whilst also taking into account the historic significance and performance of the building.

Where appropriate, renovation works should use natural, rather than synthetic insulation materials

Wherever possible, traditional products and building materials should be used

Wherever possible, contractors should try to source local materials, and use products with low embodied energy

Any paints, varnishes and other finishes that are used must be natural oil or waterbased, as opposed to petrochemical or solvent-based products

Wherever possible, refurbishments should incorporate re-used materials from the existing building (e.g. by reusing original roof slates, or by refurbishing rather than replacing original sash windows).

Wherever possible 10% of constructional materials should be recycled

All timber should come from proven legal and sustainable sources.

Biodiversity impact assessments should be carried out before any works to green or open spaces, and any works undertaken should aim to enhance the overall biodiversity interest of the site.

Where soil and compost is used these should be peat free.
Insurance
All funded properties must be insured for their full reinstatement value whilst the works are being carried out, and after their completion. This is to ensure that, if the property is accidently damaged during the works, any grant money that has already been spent is protected. Usually the insurance should be held in the name of the property owner. You must inform your insurance company that you are intending to undertake work to the property and ensure that this is covered by the policy.

In the case of buildings that are completely vacant for the duration of the works, it may be acceptable for the insurance to be held by the principal contractor, as long as this is transferred to the owner on completion without a break in cover. This should be discussed in more detail with the Old Town Programme Team.
Management and Maintenance Plan
For some works, before a grant is agreed, we will ask for a management and maintenance plan to be in place to show how the funded works will be kept in a good condition over a period of at least ten years. This will be a condition of the grant, and is intended to ensure that the grants have a lasting and long-term impact on the Old Town.
As a minimum this might include an annual inspection of external features, including roofs, gutters, windows and doors, and carrying out remedial action (such as clearing out blocked gutters, replacing dislodged roof tiles and repainting damaged or decaying paintwork) where needed.
Declaration
The grant applicant must sign the declaration. For joint applications both applicants must sign the declaration and agree to be bound by the grant conditions if a grant is awarded. If the applicant is a Company, Charitable Trust, Community organisation, etc., a representative of the organisation must sign the declaration.
Supporting documents checklist
The application form must be completed and returned with a large amount of additional detailed information about the proposed works. A check list for these items is included. In some cases not all additional information will be required, depending on the type of grant applied for, and the value and extent of the work. If you are uncertain which supporting information you need to supply please contact the Old Town Programme Team.
What happens next?
Once you have submitted the application with all of the required documentation it will be assessed by the Old Town Grant Scheme programme board.
The Programme Board will consider all applications for grant funding against the following criteria:

The extent to which the building improvements will meet the aims of the Old Town
Grant Scheme.

The need for improvements.

The use of appropriate materials and techniques.

The implementation of a comprehensive maintenance plan to ensure the long term life of the building.

The steps that will be taken to reduce the potential negative environmental impacts of the scheme

The number of training and skills opportunities that will be provided as part of the scheme

If your application is successful, and the required documentation is in place, you will be issued with a grant offer letter and a copy of the grant agreement to sign. Please allow 6-8 weeks for a decision to be made.
Work should not begin on site until the grant agreement with Hull City Council has been signed as work that has already started is not eligible for funding. For more information please contact the Old Town Programme Team (contact details at the top of this guidance).
Old Town Grant Scheme Area