[Bell Historians] Digest Number 2815-Holy Trinity, Bolton

[Peter Rivet]

Looks good, doesn't it - but there's a sting in the tail.  The owner can
turn round and serve a purchase notice on the local authority, in effect
saying "I can't afford to do up the building - do it yourselves!".  Few
local authorities are in a position to take on and restore difficult
buildings like this, especially at the moment.  So it's hardly ever used.

For any historic building to have a long term future it has to have a viable
end use.  Church to residential conversions are difficult and expensive to
do.  They rarely make much money - and in my opinion a lot of them don't
work very well either, either in terms of the living accommodation they
provide or in terms of preserving the character of the original building.

Peter Rivet


  -----Original Message-----
  From: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
[mailto:bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of John H Allen
  Sent: 09 March 2011 16:14
  To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
  Subject: RE: [Bell Historians] Digest Number 2815-Holy Trinity, Bolton




  Perhaps the Local Authority will use its Statutory Powers:-



  5. REPAIRS
  5.1 If a local authority consider that a listed building is not being
properly preserved they may serve on the owner a 'repairs notice' under
Section 115 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971. This notice must
specify the works which the authority consider reasonably necessary for the
proper preservation of the building and explain that if it is not complied
with within 2 months the authority may make a compulsory purchase order and
submit it to the Secretary of State for confirmation. If the owner
deliberately neglects the building in order to redevelop the site, the local
authority may not only acquire the building, but may do so at a price which
excludes the value of the site for redevelopment. If the building is
unoccupied, the authority can serve a notice on the owner giving him 7 days'
notice of their intention to carry out repairs which are urgently necessary
to secure its preservation and recover the cost from the owner. These powers
may also be exercised by the Secretary of State. Owners of listed buildings
can, in some cases, get grants or loans to help them with repairs and
maintenance.








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--

  From: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
[mailto:bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of fartwell2000
  Sent: Wednesday 09 March 2011 16:09
  To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
  Subject: Re: [Bell Historians] Digest Number 2815-Holy Trinity, Bolton







  --- In bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com, Simon Linford <simonhippo at ...>
wrote:
  >
  >
  > Holy Trinity Bolton is not going to be turned into luxury apartments
because it doesn't stack up financially. And the planning consent has
expired (or is about to). I nearly bought it for a pound about nine months
ago but concluded that was about 250k too much.
  > It is a sad lesson that if you don't keep empty churches wind and
watertight they deteriorate beyond the point of no return within about a
year of a decent size hole getting in the roof. Which is what has happened.
Seddons, who own it, stopped doing any maintenance shortly after a surveyor
stepped backwards through a trap door in the tower which he had left opened
and killed himself.
  > Simon
  >
  >

  I wouldn't have thought that "Starter homes" would have made much profit
on the site, considering how much work WAS required before the death of the
surveyor in 06/07. I remember a comment from the HSE that it was thought
that a trap was open, but covered with ply wood and the surveyor fell
through.

  I wonder what will happen to the place now? I think its a grade 2 listed
building.

  Alan


  
           
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