Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2021
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
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From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
Minister Noonan announces €3m in funding for 477 built heritage projects
Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, TD, today (Thursday 1 April) announced that 477 heritage projects across every county in the country will benefit from a total of €3m under this year’s Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS).
In addition to supporting owners and custodians of historic and protected structures to safeguard and maintain their properties, this funding will also provide a welcome boost to local construction and heritage trades by facilitating works with a total value of over €15.5m and leveraging an estimated 19,000 days’ labour.
The announcement follows the decision by Cabinet earlier this week to implement a limited, phased easing of restrictions from April until a substantial level of vaccination has been achieved, in the hope that a full re-opening of construction activity can be considered in early May. Today’s announcement allows owners and custodians to begin to plan for the months ahead. All work must, of course, be carried out in full compliance with Government/HSE guidance on Covid-19.
The BHIS is one of two built heritage funding schemes run by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in association with the 31 Local Authorities. Through grants of up to €15,000, the BHIS assists owners of heritage structures – including those on the local authorities’ Record of Protected Structures and those in Architectural Conservation Areas – to meet their obligations to care for their properties. The scheme is not limited to private dwellings and also provides assistance to a wide range of other important heritage structures – this year’s BHIS includes awards to landmark pubs including Toner’s in Dublin and T & H Doolan’s in Waterford; historic church buildings across the country; the family vault of Henry Grattan in Kildare; an early concrete bridge in Birr, Co. Offaly; and the iconic ‘Why go bald’ neon sign on Dublin’s South Great George’s Street.
Also included under the BHIS 2021 is a continuation of a micro-grant stream introduced in 2020 to increase the resilience of historic structures to withstand the constant effects of climate change. This allows local authorities to make smaller awards to owners of historic properties to carry out routine maintenance to offset the impact of climate change on their buildings.
Speaking today, Minister Noonan said:
‘I am delighted to announce €3m investment in our built heritage which will assist 477 owners and custodians of historic and protected structures right across the country as they carry out hundreds of small-scale, labour-intensive projects to repair and safeguard our built heritage. These awards will provide much-needed economic stimulus in all 31 local authority areas and will give employment to the many small businesses, skilled conservation specialists and tradespeople involved in heritage-related construction activity. Not only will this €3m funding help sustain specialist heritage businesses while the market recovers, it is also an investment in this Government’s commitment under the Programme for Government to encourage traditional building skills.’
Commenting on the announcement, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, TD, said:
‘it is fantastic to see the range of projects which will be supported by this investment of €3m. This fund will help to safeguard our rich built heritage, keeping many buildings in use and helping to bring many others back into use. It will also have a knock-on economic benefit by generating jobs, providing further employment for heritage contractors and other skilled crafts and tradespeople.’
Minister of State for Local Government, Peter Burke, TD, also welcomed the announcement, stating:
‘the success of the Built Heritage Investment Scheme is testament to the close working relationship between the Department and the Local Authorities, particularly the Architectural Conservation Officers, Heritage Officers and planning and administrative staff without whom these schemes would not exist. It is particularly pleasing to see this year’s BHIS fund so many projects in our towns, in line with this Government’s commitment to put Town Centres First.’
Details of awards granted under the Department’s other built heritage scheme, the Historic Structures Fund, will be announced following their assessment in the coming weeks.
The list of grantees under the 2021 BHIS can be found in the following document.