3E+W+SAfter section 3 of the 1953 Act there shall be inserted—
“3A Grants and loans for preservation of historic buildings etc.
(1)
The Commission may make grants for the purpose of defraying in whole or in part any expenditure incurred or to be incurred in the repair or maintenance of a building which is situated in England and which appears to the Commission to be of outstanding historic or architectural interest, or in the upkeep of any land which is situated in England and which comprises, or is contiguous or adjacent to, any such building, or in the repair or maintenance of any objects ordinarily kept in any such building or in the upkeep of a garden or other land which is situated in England and which appears to the Commission to be of outstanding historic interest but which is not contiguous or adjacent to a building which appears to the Commission to be of outstanding historic or architectural interest.
(2)The power conferred by subsection (1) of this section to make grants for the purposes there mentioned shall include power to make loans for those purposes.
(3)Where a grant under this section is made to the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, the grant may, if the Commission think fit, be made by way of endowment, subject to such provisions, by way of trust, contract or otherwise, as may appear to the Commission to be requisite for securing that, so long as it is reasonably practicable to give effect to the purposes of the endowment, the sum granted will be retained and invested by the Trust and used as a source of income for defraying the expenditure in respect of which the grant is made.
(4)A grant or loan under this section may be made subject to conditions imposed by the Commission for the purpose of securing public access to the whole or part of the property to which the grant or loan relates, or for other purposes, as the Commission may think fit.
(5)A loan made under this section shall be made on such terms as to repayment, payment of interest and otherwise as the Commission may determine.”