The owners of the many derelict and vacant buildings in and around Drogheda might be interested to know that applications are now open for the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Historic Structures Fund which has been increased by 12.5% to €9m.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has today (Wednesday 16 November) launched the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) and the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) for 2023.
Announcing the 2023 schemes earlier today, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, said:
“Supporting our communities in their efforts to repair, preserve and restore our built heritage takes significant time, care, expertise, and investment. I am therefore delighted to announce that applications are now open for both the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and Historic Structures Fund for 2023, with combined funding of €9m.
” This 12.5% increase on last year underlines this Government’s commitment to the continuing protection and preservation of our built environment, in line with the goals set out in Heritage Ireland 2030, the new national heritage plan, which I launched earlier this year.”
The Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Historic Structures Fund will support owners and custodians of protected structures in every local authority area across the country.
Together, the schemes will assist hundreds of small-scale, labour-intensive projects as well as larger-scale projects to repair and conserve our historic built environment. These projects will also give significant support to local jobs in conservation and traditional skills.
The funding includes a total of €4.5 million for the Built Heritage Investment Scheme, and €4.5 million for the Historic Structures Fund.
The 2023 Historic Structures Fund will include two streams first introduced in 2021: one for vernacular structures and another for historic shopfronts.
The vernacular stream will provide total funding of €150,000 for conservation repairs and small capital works to eligible vernacular structures – structures built through traditional local methods – that are not listed in local authority Records of Protected Structures or otherwise legally protected.
The shopfront stream, which runs in conjunction with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, includes shared funding of €50,000 for the conservation of shopfronts in the Irish language.
The 2023 Built Heritage Investment Scheme will include ring-fenced funding of €500,000 for conservation repairs to eligible historic thatched structures to maximise the availability of financial assistance to such owners, helping them offset other costs.
In 2022, 594 projects were funded by the two schemes, ranging from minor essential repairs of rainwater goods to large-scale roof repairs. Applications are now open and will run until 31 January 2023. Details of the schemes and how to apply are available on all local authority websites and the Department’s website.
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, TD, said:
“The importance of our historic built environment cannot be overstated: it is an integral part of our culture and sense of place and is of huge importance to our local economies. It is our shared responsibility to ensure that this heritage is passed on to future generations.”
