Funding opportunities offering up to 80% support for rural historic buildings have been announced by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) under the countryside stewardship scheme.
DEFRA states that the higher tier projects eligible for grant may include:
- non-residential buildings built with traditional materials and methods in a characteristic local, vernacular or ‘designed’ architectural style
- ornamental or architecturally designed buildings – for example, those on model farms, or in parklands or designed landscapes
- ‘transitional buildings’, buildings that show the introduction of modern materials, but are otherwise in traditional materials, style and function – written support from a Natural England historic environment adviser will be needed
- buildings of historic significance, whether traditional or later construction – for example, late-19th to early-20th century Dutch barns (curved head barns), mine buildings or military buildings, such as World War 2 pillboxes
- unconverted historic buildings used in ways they weren’t originally designed for, but without affecting the historic integrity and character – for example, light industrial, educational access or livery use
