Council offers help with character homes

5 July 2007

Council offers help with character homes

Do you have a character home in need of some TLC? Council’s Character Housing Maintenance Grants might be just what you need!

Council Neighbourhood Planner Katie Smith is keen to let people know about the grants, set up by Council to provide assistance with external maintenance of our older character homes.

"The Council wanted to help retain character homes and continue its contribution to the residential amenity and identity of our local areas, " she says.

Last year Council received 62 applications for the grants, 43 of which were recommended by community boards.

All applications put before the Character Housing Grants Panel were considered worthy of the grants for 10% of the proposed external maintenance work costs. The panel decided to award almost $50,000 in grant monies, of which almost $24,000 has been paid for completed works in the 06/07 financial year. The remainder of the work for which grants were awarded was not completed.

Ms Smith says the most popular work last year was repainting exteriors and repairs or re-roofing. Other proposals included replacing windows with original wood sashes, reinstating or repairing stained glass windows, and repairing and reinstating ornamental fretwork.

Criteria for the grants are included in the application forms which are available from service centres and libraries, or ring Katie Smith on (03) 941 8089, email CHMG@ccc.govt.nz. Applications need to be lodged by 31 August 2007.

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