Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 December 2004
238 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he has offered suggestions or given policy directions toward the preservation of listed or preserved buildings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31645/04]
View answerStatutory protection of the architectural heritage is primarily a matter for the planning authorities to which my Department provides advice in the exercise of their functions in that regard under the Planning and Development Act 2000. Draft architectural heritage protection guidelines for planning authorities were issued in December 2001 for consultation purposes. I intend that definitive guidelines will be published early next year. These guidelines will include the criteria to be applied by planning authorities when selecting proposed protected structures for inclusion in the record of protected structures. Planning authorities will be required to have regard to the guidelines in the performance of their functions under Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000.
Under the legislation, the Minister may also make recommendations to planning authorities concerning the inclusion in the record of protected structures of any particular building or structure. Based mainly on the results of surveys carried out by the national inventory of architectural heritage of my Department, to date, recommendations have been made to 54 planning authorities covering over 10,000 buildings.
