Signpost churches and cemeteries

What regulations are in place regarding the maintenance and upkeep of my listed building?

As the owner of a municipal or national monument, you can apply for a heritage grant to cover maintenance and conservation work on your property. Green heritage sites, such as cemeteries, may also be eligible for a grant.

• If your church or cemetery is a listed building, you may be eligible for a local and regional grant. Only costs incurred in maintaining the listed building (in particular structural repairs and painting) are eligible for funding. Visit the page ‘Applying for a grant for listed buildings’ for more information.
• My church or cemetery is a listed building: every year, from 1 February to 31 March, you can apply for the Maintenance Grant for listed buildings that are not residential properties, such as a church, a windmill or a factory. On the government website You can find more information here.

What regulations are in place regarding the repurposing of my church?

• The Government has a scheme for investigating the feasibility of repurposing, sustainability improvements and measures to ensure buildings are wind- and watertight. The application period runs annually from 1 October to 30 November inclusive. On the government website You can find more information here.
• The province has a scheme for the functional use of heritage. Are you planning to restore, repurpose or make a listed building in Gelderland more sustainable? The province assists owners of listed buildings by providing advice and technical support, connecting applicants with expert partners, offering loans and, where absolutely necessary, providing grants. This grant scheme is valid until 1 January 2026. The scheme is for owners of national and municipal listed buildings in Gelderland. Please note: listed buildings with a original function Residential properties are excluded from the scheme.

What schemes are available to help make my church more sustainable?

• In 2018, Apeldoorn City Council adopted the Apeldoorn Energy Fund established to assist businesses, institutions and organisations that wish to invest in energy-efficiency measures but are unable to secure funding from mainstream financial institutions.
• The Subsidy scheme for sustainable social housing (DUMAVA) The government is helping owners of existing social housing to cover the costs of making their properties more sustainable.
• Gelderland: Ready for Climate Change is the support programme for social housing and operates the Social Housing Sustainability Fund.
• The the Restoration Fund’s Sustainability Advice Scheme reimburses part of the cost of a sustainability consultation provided by a DuMo adviser.

On the Future of Religious Heritage website you will find more grants and incentive schemes.

What is the best way to make my listed building or landmark more sustainable?

Making listed and protected buildings more sustainable requires a different approach to that used for non-listed buildings. Heritage is an important asset of Apeldoorn. The municipality of Apeldoorn therefore wishes to ensure that the sustainability improvements to listed and protected buildings are carried out with care, without causing excessive damage or requiring major alterations.

That is why the local authority is keen to work with you, as the owner. We have a sustainability service: a cultural heritage adviser will then visit you. If your church is a characteristic or landmark building, or if it is situated within a protected town or village view, you can also make use of the sustainability service.

Visit the Sustainability Service page

• Is my church or cemetery listed as a monument, a landmark building or a building of architectural interest, or is it situated within a conservation area?

View monuments via the data portal

• Which churches and cemeteries are there in the municipality of Apeldoorn?

View the map via the data portal

• What am I allowed to do with my listed building?

Visit the page on renovating listed buildings

• Can I install solar panels on listed buildings and in areas of special architectural interest?

Visit the page on installing solar panels on listed buildings

• I would like to make an appointment with the Apeldoorn Environmental Services Centre.

Book an appointment with the Apeldoorn Environmental Services Centre

I have an initiative

The initiative broker provides advice on your initiative. For example, the initiative broker will work with you to assess whether you are eligible for a grant and can put you in touch with relevant contacts.

How do I find volunteers?

Is your organisation or charity looking for enthusiastic volunteers? For non-religious activities with a social focus (food banks, garden maintenance, DIY help, etc.), there are opportunities to join this existing platform. If so, please post a specific vacancy and visit Apeldoorn Takes Action how to get in touch with candidates.

Would you like to read more about the management and maintenance of church buildings, making them more sustainable or repurposing them? Would you like to know which municipal cemeteries there are? If so, why not take a look at one of these websites:

Church buildings:

• Website of the Association of Managers of Historic Church Buildings
• Foundation for Certified Restoration Quality in Heritage Conservation (ERM), Publication on making listed church buildings more sustainable
• Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage: Publication: ‘A Future for Churches: A Guide to the Repurposing of Vacant Church Buildings’
• Quarterly magazine ‘Venster Gelderse Kerken’

Cemeteries:

• Website: Cemeteries in the municipality of Apeldoorn
• RCE Website: Cemeteries and Grave Monuments
• Website of the National Organisation for Cemeteries (LOB)
• Online Cemeteries Website