A clock set in an ornate iron housing stands above a high street and shown here with period buildings behind and without ornate iron base at pavement level cropped out. 2 out of the clock's 4 faces are visible in this view.
Jubilee Clock, High Street, Harlesden, Brent © Historic England Archive View image record DP462541
Jubilee Clock, High Street, Harlesden, Brent © Historic England Archive View image record DP462541

Timetable the Work and Forecast Spending

To get a heritage led regeneration scheme under way, your plan for how to deliver each of the projects that are part of it should include a timetable and spending forecast, the ‘what you are going to do and when’.

On this page
  1. Planning building works
  2. Forecasting spend

Heritage- and culture-led regeneration schemes usually involve a varied range of projects, from running a grant scheme, carrying out improvements to buildings or the public realm, to putting on training, engagement or cultural events.

A broad approach to planning all of these is to break down the project work into activities and individual tasks. Then for each task agree and list a team member who will lead the work, the start and finish dates for the task and progress.

Planning building works

For most heritage led regeneration schemes, building projects make up most of the scheme, both in terms of the funds and time invested. Works to historic buildings involve some key challenges which you should factor into your timetable:

  • Planning consents
    Check early on with your local authority's Building Conservation Officer which permissions are required and build in enough time for these
  • Tenders for specialist contractors
    There may be a shortage of contractors with the heritage expertise needed, and they might be unavailable if a large programme is under way. Be prepared for a low response to tenders
  • Supply issues with specialist materials
    Plan for this and order any traditional materials needed in advance
  • Weather conditions
    Some works are best carried out during spring and summer months

Whether you are managing building works for your organisation or a third party, mapping out what you need to do and when for each project will help you keep track of progress and see where you may need to take action or make some changes.

To develop realistic timeline estimates you need to think through all the steps. Recheck progress against the timeline periodically in case any delays are likely to impact other steps dependent on them.

Engage and support potential grant applicants

Heritage led regeneration schemes usually incentivise private owners of historic buildings to participate by offering grants for undertaking repairs, reinstatement or conversion works to their building which will enhance the area. The success of most schemes depends on their engagement.

So, planning your building works needs to take into account your timeline for engaging building owners and supporting them through the process of designing their project, submitting an application and being accepted for a grant. 

Follow the links below for more advice on how to run your grant scheme and engage owners and tenants.

Design phase

For each of the buildings on your priority list for delivery, you need to work through how long it will take to carry out the various tasks involved in designing the building works, what is known as ‘the design phase’. The steps below outline what is involved. In practice the process will not be as linear as this suggests.

Commissioning

Building owners commission a ‘design team’, usually an architect or surveyor, making sure they have experience of working with older buildings. Find the right professional help

Get at least 3 quotations.

Understanding

How complex is the project? Are there structural or underlying issues which need to be addressed?

Bring in other specialists, for example to survey for asbestos or ecological surveys or for a heritage statement, if the building is listed.

Designing

Design team develop drawings and proposals for the project in collaboration with the owner and local planning authority

Check that the work planned is eligible and suitable under the grant terms before the owner starts the application. Also check if any consent will be needed.

Consents

Design team prepare applications for planning permission or listed building consent, including preapplication discussions.

Allow 8 weeks (minimum) for the statutory determination period.

Specifying

Design team draw up a specification (schedule) of exactly what work is to be done and any additional supporting documentation.

Ensure the specifications are acceptable before the owner tenders the work.

Tendering

Owner (via design team) gets tenders for the work including a detailed breakdown of the costs.

Allow at least 3 weeks for a straightforward project, more if complex.

Applying

Owner or agent apply for the grant using all the information including drawings, costings, specifications and consents.

Lessons learnt - design phase funding

If you know that owner finances are likely to be an issue in your area, consider offering grants to fund this design phase.

Spending time and money on this preparation of a grant application can feel quite speculative for building owners and put them off. There is a potential risk that building owners complete the design phase and decide not to apply for the works phase grant, so agree your strategy with your project board and steering group.

These lessons were gathered from Historic England's partners who delivered regeneration projects during the High Streets Heritage Action Zones programme.

Timetable the work

For successful grant applicants, there will be a contract to sign and then the work can really begin.

For an initial timetable, assume that works will take 3 to 6 months to complete. Complex projects can take much longer, so talk to the design team early on to see how long they would expect works to take and adapt your plans accordingly.

The contractors’ work programme should give an accurate picture of when they expect to finish the job and allow you to refine your timetable.

A scheme plan summary for this stage might look like this example :

Activity

Tasks

Team member

Task start and finish

Monitor work on site

Ensure work being carried out is in accordance with the approved project for the contract duration

Project officer

Add dates based on realistic estimate

Process claims

Make payments to contractors based on architects certificates and receipted invoices.

Project officer

In simple terms, it covers you checking what is happening on site and, through discussions with the architect, overseeing the work or owners.

Support the owner and contractors to ensure claims come in with the right information in them so that you can authorise payment of the grant.

How long work will take has a major impact on what spend is likely and by when. Keeping track of your spending profile and forecast is particularly critical if your scheme funding is the ‘use it, or lose it’ kind, where you can’t carry money you have not spent into the next financial year.

Phased organic development example

Derelict Iconic Building Rescued for the Community of Hastings

The iconic Observer Building in Hastings has been repaired and rescued from dereliction and 4 floors brought back into use for the community.

The Hastings Commons team leading the work used a phased organic development approach, allowing for gradual progress and adaptation as the project unfolds. This has enabled the team to respond to emerging needs and opportunities while minimising the risk of wasted resources.

Read the case study

Forecasting spend

Once you have estimated your costs, use your costings and timetable to work out when you expect to make payments for each project, or activity within a project.

Stage payments

Consider if you can make stage payments to contractors or building owners in receipt of your grants, to help with their cashflow. If you are providing stage payments, you should formally agree a payment schedule at the outset with contractors. These are based on agreed products or stages in the work being delivered, and are a percentage of the project cost. It’s important to operate due diligence when choosing contractors and agree an appropriate payment schedule to have confidence that all work will be delivered.

When working with consultants, design teams and architects you will usually have a fee structure with percentage stage payments.

Keep track of your spend

Delays and extra costs are common in capital works to historic buildings. It is important to monitor the work closely to keep track of any delays encountered and additional costs incurred.

Use a spreadsheet with columns for forecast and actual spend. Review your spend forecast regularly, at least every quarter, and keep accurate updates of what was spent. Remember to update your remaining budget at the same time.

Your grant funders will likely have specific monitoring and reporting requirements so check what these are early on.

Lessons learnt: managing spend

  • Be realistic when forecasting
    Build-in time for the challenges that commonly crop up when carrying out works to historic buildings. This will help manage expectations about what can be delivered and what should be prioritised. It is better to be realistic and over-achieve.
  • Carry out regular spend reviews
    Effective programme management of spend within the financial year is essential. Chase invoices early on in the project delivery and update grant recipients at regular intervals so they can see clearly what has and has not been claimed. Good financial accounting with a dedicated in-house finance officer is very helpful.
  • Flexible approach
    Due to the nature of heritage restoration work, parameters and plans can change, so be flexible in your project management and ensure there is realistic contingency budget.
  • Be aware of financial deadlines
    Check with your funder for any deadlines for using grant funding and making claims.

These lessons were gathered from Historic England's partners who delivered regeneration projects during the High Streets Heritage Action Zones programme.

Also of interest

Heritage and Regeneration Advice Hub