English Heritage, Peter Barlow & Stephen Boyle - Update on EH's RGPOW & Procurement

Money in restricted or endowment funds will not be taken into account when EH consider applications for grants. Funders generally give ‘bit' funding whereas EH try to fund shortfalls.

EH received only 2 Cumbrian applications to their POW grant programme for grade I & II* listed churches this year. All of the grant money is now from the HLF.

Procurement regarding tendering for professional services is a new requirement of European legislation. Details can be found on
EH website C of E's Church Care website

In brief: For fees up to £10,000 tendering is not required, however the church must demonstrate good value for money, for instance, the existing architect has a particular skill and knowledge of the church and should therefore be retained. This would comply with the procurement ruling and be classed as a single tender action.

• £10,000-50,000 - tendering is required with at least 3 bids from conservation-accredited architects; evidence may need to be demonstrated. The church should select the best value for money.
• £50,000 plus -competitive tendering is required, including advertising (regionally and/or nationally) for services & this needs to be demonstrated.
• £150,000 plus - advertisement in the European Journal will be necessary.

This means that churches cannot rely on retaining their QI architect, unless their appointment was robust at the start e.g. an architect was appointed and retained on a percentage basis and their fee was competitive.

Churches do not have to pick the lowest tender as they can apply a 70:30 weighting to their decision when appointing an architect; 70% on quality and 30% on fee cost. Churches can judge an architect's quality by i) their communication skills and ii) their understanding of the client and iii) the church's needs. However, if a church has not enquired about quality, they will have to accept the lowest bid. EH has an evaluation score sheet for contractors. HLF also has table of quality.

English Heritage can help a PCC to procure an architect if they don't currently have a QI architect.

North of England Civic Trust (NECT), Lisa Rothwell-Young, Heritage Skills Initiative Opportunities for Places of Worship

Lisa asked that people write training into their contracts; NECT can help with this, and organise master classes.

• NECT has organised current lime plastering works at St John's, Helsington, south of Kendal.
• NECT asked that if anyone has images of different uses in churches e.g. pubs, gyms, cultural venues, office space etc, please let them know.
• NECT's conference on funding and training opportunities for historic buildings will take place March/April 2012.
• The next Historic Skills Initiative's Skills Fair is taking place at Heron Mill, Beetham, 2012.

Richard Henry, Eco-op & Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS), Sustainable Waste disposal designs of toilet systems appropriate for rural churches.  The degradation of our water continues and we have periods of no water therefore sustainable waste disposal can help to reduce water use and pollution. Example: Plumpton Chapel near Carlisle will have trench arch system and pump waste into woodland. The trench arch can take raw sewage; fluid disperses whilst solids are left. Aerobic activity and worms breaks this down. Gloucester Diocese's guidance on trench arch systems can be found here

Composting loos (Matterdale church) need no plumbing and there are now water-less urinals available.

Richard is happy to give advice to people.

CAfS' 2011 green build festival takes place, 10th - 25th 25th September

The Environment Agency has a ‘permit to discharge' system, for details see here and they want everyone to register their septic tank by the end of 2011.

Richard has found the Environment Agency to be helpful, keen to visit and to provide solutions. It may be a comfort to the buildings regs officer if EA is happy with the proposals e.g. Aspatria Church put in a faculty for a system but buildings regs refused it.

English Heritage, Geraldine O'Farrell, Lightning Conductors

Geraldine's slide show & notes can be found here.  EH's publications can be found here.

Churches must carry out a risk assessment. EIG don't ask that a church has a conductor. If a church has been there for centuries and hasn't been hit; what has changed that makes you think it is now more likely (other than we are now getting more lightning with climate change).

The risk assessment needs to take into account various things such as dimensions, use and construction details of the structure. A correct risk assessment involves a lot of work. If the church is in a town, you need to know where its mains supply enters the building as remote lightning strikes can travel through pipelines some distance away. A surge protection system on incoming cables, computer etc may protect equipment but not necessarily the building. Testing for resistance and continuity of tapes is important although ground conditions can change readings, for instance the wetter the ground, the lower the resistance will be. Test for conductors should take place every 11 or 13 months so that the seasons change over time.

English Heritage, Geraldine O'Farrell, Lighting - good design for places of worship

English Heritage's guidance on lighting can be found here: External lighting EH Principles of Conservation Practice.

Geraldine showed examples of lighting in historic buildings and talked about the various issues e.g. medieval wall hangings in one church - needed light but not heat and indirect light which won't damage pigment. Toxteth St Margaret's/Mary's - used very modern lighting which emulated the original design. Southampton, St Albans the Martyr had 1930s light fittings - important to the interior design but they currently can't afford to make them work and so have retained them and used other lighting. John Rylands Library - required more lighting; retained the original and added modern versions at alternating columns where there had been no lighting.

Use modern light fittings if sympathetic. Retain the old even if it can't be used. Can hide modern lights in nooks & crannies and/or convert originals. Use modern light technology. Don't be afraid of using lights with mercury in them (fluorescent lights contain mercury); it can't go into landfill but can be disposed of at most council waste sites.

WEEE Directive - Waste Electrical & Electrical Equipment. For details see here: It requires contractors to dispose of waste which was installed pre 2005. After 2005, you must dispose of it.

External lighting. Think of colour; LED projectors for colour flooding. Use backlighting for silhouettes; white light to contrast against yellow street lighting - be aware of what is around the building. See Society of Light and Lighting website Can convert a street lamp into a flood light, or use the lamp standard to attach one onto it.

Geraldine can receive quick questions from churches, however if it is about bigger projects, she recommends they contact Steven Boyle who may then refer the query on to Geraldine 01483 475 569