Welcome to the latest edition of the diocesan Property Bulletin. Read on for more information about:
- 2025 Decoration Grants outcomes
- Upcoming Tree Survey
- Grants for affordable housing development
- Net Zero Carbon (NZC) Assessments
- New Property Committee members
Best wishes, Property Team:
Charlotte Kirby, Property Director
Barbara Young, Parsonages Estates Manager
Elizabeth Pazzi-Axworthy, Estates and Trusts Officer
Lesley Shrosbree, Property Team Administrator
2025 Decoration Grants Outcome
This year we had 42 applications and 41 were successful, roughly the same as last year. However, last year unfortunately only just over half of successful applicants provided their receipts to receive their grant! Our budgets are tight but this funding is committed, so please do make the most of your successful application.
If you have been successful in this year’s grant, you must submit your receipts before the end of December. Check your email for details of how to do this.
As a reminder, we do ask that all decoration uses neutral colours, as leaving dark and/or bright colours for your successor to over-paint is not welcomed. We do consider this to be damage as it leaves the property in a different condition to when it was received, and we will be taking a stricter policy on this upon departure in future.
Tree Survey
We are undertaking tree surveys in order to understand the scope of work required to trees on all our properties. You will shortly be contacted by BHA Trees to arrange a convenient time for the survey of your property.
Grants For Affordable Housing Development
The national church Housing Project recently announced grant funding for PCCs who wish to explore developing affordable housing on their land. £3.2m is available over five years to fund consultant fees for feasibility assessment, including planning and architects, up to £25,000 per project.
If your PCC has discussed such a project but struggles with funds, please do look into this: Grant funding of £3.2 million to advise churches on using land for housing and Church grants scheme launched to kick start housing plans | The Church of England.
You can email the Housing Project team to find out more and to apply for funding: HousingProject@churchofengland.org.
NZC Assessments
We are delighted to let you know that we have funding to carry out Net Zero Carbon retrofit assessments on our clergy housing. This is a vital step in helping us to consider our next steps to achieve our NZC goals, including identifying the budget we will need. We will be prioritising houses with the oldest boilers, oil boilers and cavity walls for assessment, but all houses we are responsible for will be assessed in due course. We expect to be in touch with more information in the next Property Bulletin, but if you have any queries in the meantime let us know.
Property Committee
The Property Committee oversees the management of parsonage houses by:
- ensuring the Board meets its statutory duty to carry out repairs
- replacing unsuitable houses where possible
- improving properties
- realising development potential of sites
- selling housing no longer required
- letting houses during vacancies
- providing new houses where required
The Committee meets five times per year and also deals with the Board’s own properties, such as curate houses. The Archdeacons, clergy and lay representatives all sit on the committee.
Your clergy representatives for the 2025-2027 triennium are:
- The Reverend Ruth Barr – Incumbent of North Mymms (Hertfordshire)
- The Reverend Kaushal David – Incumbent of Totternhoe, Stanbridge and Tilsworth (Bedfordshire)
- The Reverend Martyn Shea – Incumbent of Luton, St Hugh Lewsey (Bedfordshire)