Welcome
A guide for leaseholders of the Bedminster Church Lands Charity
This guide has been produced by the Trustees of the Bedminster Church Lands Charity, to highlight the most important elements of its leases relating to the rights and responsibilities of its leaseholders. It is not comprehensive. For more information please refer to the terms of your lease.
You may also wish to take independent legal advice. If you decide to do this, you must be aware that you will be liable for any legal costs and fees arising therefrom.
Background
The medieval parish of Bedminster, with its church of St John the Baptist situated to the north of present day Malago Road, stretched from Bristol Bridge to Abbott’s Leigh in the north and Bishopsworth to the south. As the houses and factories of Bristol spread south, so separate parishes were carved out of the original Parish of Bedminster, to minister to the rapidly expanding population; St Mary Redcliffe, St Thomas and Temple being the first examples.
In the early 1890s an area of land near the Chessels was released for the building of houses. The land had been endowed to St John the Baptist church by a wealthy benefactor and was vested in the Parish of Bedminster. The homes were sold on the basis of 999-year leases. The leases required that a ground rent be paid annually to the freehold owner, that is the Parish of Bedminster, which would be used for the
maintenance of the parish church.
Regrettably the church of St John the Baptist was destroyed in the 1940/41 Blitz, and in 1962 the Diocese of Bristol decided that it would not be rebuilt and the parish divided between St Mary Redcliffe and St Michael & All Angels, Windmill Hill. The remains of St John’s church were demolished and the churchyard transferred to the City Council for use as a public open space.
Bedminster Church Lands Charity was set up to receive the ground rents and, after the parish of St John’s ceased to exist in 1962, had the mandate that income received should be divided equally between St Mary Redcliffe and St Michael and All Angels, for the upkeep of those churches.
The Charity is registered with the Charity Commission (no. 264328), with the Incumbent and Churchwardens of the two parishes acting as trustees.
The Registered Office is: St Mary Redcliffe Parish Office, 12 Colston Parade, Bristol BS1 6RA.
Your obligations
Under the lease you are required to pay a ground rent. Failure to pay this by the due date will result in an Administration Charge being levied, to cover the costs reasonably incurred by the charity in recovering the amount owed.
You are required under the terms of the lease to obtain consent from BCLC as your landlord for any alterations to the dwelling, including the replacement of windows/doors and the installation of external TV aerials or satellite dishes. The Charity will levy an Administration Charge to cover its reasonable costs incurred in processing a request for such consent.
If you are sub-letting or intending to sub-let, please provide full details to the BCLC as its consent may be required under the terms of the lease. BCLC will also need to know where you will be living while you are away from the property. You should also discuss this with your lender as you may also need their consent under the terms of the mortgage.
If you are selling the property you are required to inform BCLC in writing of the details of the transaction so that the Charity can maintain up-to-date records.
Your rights
You have the right to expect that any administration charges BCLC asks you to pay reasonably reflects the costs BCLC incurs in dealing with the matter. If you do not agree, you may have the right under Schedule 11(4) to the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 to challenge these.
BCLC obviously need to hold relevant personal data about you to enable it to undertake its role as ground rent collector. You have the right to expect that personal data BCLC holds on you will be held securely and used appropriately.
How can I pay my ground rent?
By Standing Order
Instruct your bank or building society to make payments automatically to the Bedminster Church Lands Charity whose NatWest bank details are:
Branch Sort Code: 56-00-05
Account Number: 00703095
You will need to specify when and how much the payments should be.
By Cheque or Postal Order
Make cheques payable to: Bedminster Church Lands Charity and post to:
St Mary Redcliffe Parish Office
12 Colston Parade
Redcliffe
Bristol
BS1 6RA
Please do not send cash through the post.
Statutory information
Landlord and Tenant Act 1987
The owner of your freehold (lessor) is Bedminster Church Lands Charity, whose address for service (including service of Notices) is 12 Colston Parade, Redcliffe, Bristol, BS1 6RA.
Registered Charity No: 264328.
Registered Address: 12 Colston Parade, Redcliffe, Bristol BS1 6RA
Get in touch
Address:
The Parish Office
12 Colston Parade
Redcliffe
Bristol
BS1 6RA
Contact us:
