LEGISLATION Small improvement... Carol Ryan looks at the Green Paper ' • Home Improvement: A New Approach' A brief examination of the paper shows that it contains proposals which will interest all conservation officers. Some proposals are helpful, some are not. The paper begins with an assessment of the impact of grant aid. In the period 1979 - 1984, there has been almost a 100% increase in the number of grants available. Many conservation officers will know that these are not always to the advantage of the building concerned as far as the retention of traditional building materials, fenestration and internal features of interest are concerned. These figures in fact imply that there may have been a 100% increase in the loss of such features in rural cottages and terraced housing everywhere. The paper does however seek to encourage the need for timely repairs of guttering and re-pointing of brickwork. These are entirely the sentiments of conservation officers; but often re-pointing is doneand badly- when there is no need, and this one simple factor causes considerable detriment when the new pointing does not exactly match the old in style and mixture. The necessity of encouraging owners to help themselves is applauded, as is the need to use builders who have a warranty of good workmanship offered by the Building Employers Federation. Little is suggested as to how either of these aims is to be achieved, apart from local authorities being able to vet building contractors for grant-aided schemes. Building Societies are also suggested as a source of finance for renovation, but ACO is aware that building society surveyors may not be trained in the skills required for repairing old buildings, and can often impose constraints which are detrimental to the retention of character. Agency services -para. 21 Agency services from the private sector are suggested to organize renovation work. ACOwould not wish to see local Page 6 authority improvement grant personnel have reduced powers to do this, but would urge all such agencies to cease from offering the following unsatisfactory advice. a. Raising roofs in traditional rural rural cottages to increase ventilation; this has been known to result in the loss of valuable Cl7 roof trusses; and certainly results in a loss of scale. b. Replacing windows at eaves level with dormers, when rooflights can be used in conjunction with the existing windows to provide the necessary light and ventilation. c. Use of non-traditional materials, eg concrete tile instead of slate. d. Use of aluminium replacement windows e. Automatic gutting of interiors to make rooms bigger. f. Loss of traditional features of interest such as fireplaces in living rooms and bedrooms; also cast iron ranges, which can always be left as a feature if not in use. g. Blocking up of chimneys, which can lead to damp and condensation. h. Rendering over traditional materials such as brick or stone, particularly if there is no need whatever to doso. Financial help for owner/occupiers ACOwelcomes the removal of rateable value as a means of deciding eligibility for grant aid. In the past, many fine houses in poor repair have been unable to benefit because of this. Also welcome is the desire to channel grant aid to the most needy cases. Unfortunately, it is not felt that 'passporting', (giving grant aid to those eligible for housing benefit) will necessarily result in this; rather it may leave many
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