New round of Heritage grants up for grabs
Round two of the Fraser Coast Regional Council incentive scheme is opening February 1, offering grants of up to $10,000 for owners of heritage properties to conserve and enhance their properties and streetscapes.
Owners will be able to apply for $1 from Council for every $2 they spend on a project, up to a maximum of $10,000 from Council.
Mayor George Seymour said after the success of round one he was looking forward to seeing more heritage properties receive restoration.
“Thank you to all the building owners across the Fraser Coast who are looking after our built heritage.
“The works covered by the scheme include conservation or restoration projects, painting, urgent remedial works, reversing unsympathetic alterations and preparing Conservation Management Plans to support development applications.
“Protecting a building from weathering is very important part of its conservation and also contributes positively and visibly to the streetscape.
“The Fraser Coast is steeped in history and we should do everything we can to preserve it.”
“If you have a restoration project you are looking into we encourage you to apply.”
Round one grant recipients Lin and Adam Perrier said they are using the assistance to replace the 107 year old roof on their former church building.
They said the Council assistance means they are able to fast track the essential upgrades to the building.
“It has helped hugely and a big thing with the grant is it enables us to do things properly,” he said.
“When you are looking at a restoration like this, apart from the passion, it takes a lot of money.
“So the grant helps us bite things off because if we had to wait another two or three years we might have more damage.”
The pair bought the former St Mathews Church in Howard to restore and convert the building and adjacent hall into a home.
“The main thing is to retain as much of the character of the church as possible which is in line with the heritage principals,” Mr Perrier said.
“We are renovating and restoring the existing church and hall and bringing them back to their glory, they have been neglected for a long time so there is a fair bit of work to do.
“And in the process we are reconfiguring this into a residence which is a real challenge to repurpose such an iconic and culturally significant building into something that is very different.”
It is highly recommended that you discuss your project with the Heritage Planning Officer prior to lodgement and refer to guidelines and policy to obtain important information about the application requirements.
Register your interest by emailing heritage@frasercoast.qld.gov.au.
For more information, and to apply, see - www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/heritage.