Dundee Historic Environment Trust (DHET) has received funding of £180,000 from Historic Scotland to provide repair grants to the owners of properties in the city’s conservation areas in the coming year.
A Broughty Ferry resident told The Courier he feared he had missed the boat when a letter encouraging him to apply for a grant landed on his doorstep two days before it said applications had to be submitted for approval.
The man, who asked not to be named, said the invitation from DHET was dated January 2011.
“We have actually been considering doing some restoration to our stonework, so I was delighted when I received the letter because I had never heard of this scheme,” he went on.
“Then I read on and the letter said there was funding left from this financial year, but applications had to be received for decision by March 1.
“The letter was only hand-delivered on Sunday so there’s no way you could arrange to have the estimates and so-on in time.”FundingAlthough the letter did say late applications would be considered, it added the warning that funding would then be subject to availability.
DHET director Adam Swan explained the letters were being delivered by student volunteers and he suspected there had been a mix-up and the Broughty resident had received an out-of-date mailing, produced before next year’s funding had been allocated.
However, he continued, the good news is that the trust has now had its funding for 2011-12 confirmed and will be in a position to award grants totalling £180,000 in the coming year.
“That means that if any applications come in late we will have money in the next financial year,” he added.
The scheme is open to owners of historic buildings residential or commercial and the work has to be external and done using traditional materials and building skills.
For more information, call the trust on 01382 903344 or visit www.dhet.org.uk.