Liberal Democrats in Haringey have called on the Government to act now to save historic buildings before they are lost forever.

Cllr David Winskill, Lib Dem Culture spokesperson, made the call as the borough opens up its architectural gems for Open London 2007 on 15th-16th September 2007.

English Heritage recently published its ‘At risk register’ which listed the following historic buildings in Haringey as being at serious risk of further decay and damage:

Alexandra Palace
Drinking Fountain, High Street, Hornsey
War Memorial Chapel at Hornsey Central Hospital
7, Bruce Grove, Tottenham
Public Toilets, Bruce Grove, Tottenham
All Hallows Churchyard, Church Lane, Tottenham
810 High Road, Tottenham
Percy House, 793 High Road, Tottenham
Warmington House, 744, High Road, Tottenham
Former Eductaion Offices at Downhills School, 336, Philip Lane
Tottenham Public Baths (former)
Tottenham Town Hall
Former Gaumont Palace Cinema, Broadway, Wood Green
Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough, High Road, Wood Green
Porters and Walters Almshouses, Nightingale Road, Wood Green

Cllr David Winskill comments:

“Buildings such as Alexandra Palace and Tottenham Town Hall are important to our local heritage. Their loss would be a big blow for future generations and my fear is that with funding so limited to prevent further decay, restoring them in the future will be prohibitively expensive.

“Open House London gives people the opportunity to visit places in Haringey that would otherwise be closed to the public. It helps to increase awareness of Haringey’s historical and interesting buildings – some of which are considered under threat.

“As a result of the Government’s obsession with the Olympic games English Heritage have suffered a big drop in the amount of money they receive to support our heritage. In 1999, the cash available for these buildings was £6.6 million. Last year that plummeted to £4.4 million.

“Building and repair costs are rising exponentially: without government action to stop the rot now, it may become too expensive to save some of our great historic buildings that at the moment are crumbling away.

“One measure the government can take is to lower the VAT charged on renovating or extending homes and buildings. It is unfair that when a building is renovated, VAT has to be paid at the full rate on the building materials.

“Lib Dem proposals will make it cheaper for many people who own older, historic buildings to carry out repairs and renovation. And we would pay for this by charging the same lower rate of VAT on materials used in building new houses built on greenfield sites.

“This will also mean owners of historic buildings rely less on grants from the government to improve and protect their property. We believe buildings here in Haringey would benefit greatly from this. I hope that Haringey Labour will join us in lobbying central government to act.”