Bernard Durkan
Question:676. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she continues to protect valuable archeological sites; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44182/15]
View answerTuesday, 8 December 2015
Questions (676, 677, 678)
Bernard Durkan
Question:677. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she has identified historical buildings, sites or structures deemed to be at risk, the action she is putting in place or that is pending to address the issues arising; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44183/15]
View answerBernard Durkan
Question:678. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if particular historical sites or buildings in County Kildare are at risk and the action she has taken or that is pending to address these risks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44184/15]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 676 to 678, inclusive, together.
Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, provides for the protection of the architectural heritage. The Act gives primary responsibility to planning authorities to identify and protect the architectural heritage by including relevant structures on the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) – in this case, Kildare County Council. Inclusion on the RPS places a duty of care on the owners and occupiers of protected structures and also gives planning authorities powers to deal with development proposals affecting them and to seek to safeguard their future.
Grant funding of €624,000 was allocated for the Structures at Risk Fund 2015, to enable conservation works to heritage structures, in both private and public ownership, deemed to be at significant risk of deterioration and which are protected under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. This fund, which is administered through the local authorities, encourages the regeneration and reuse of heritage properties and helps to secure the preservation of protected structures which might otherwise be lost. Since 2011, over 130 structures have been safeguarded for the future as a result of the Structures at Risk Fund.
My Department has a number of measures at its disposal to facilitate the restoration of major historical or cultural sites. I am the owner or guardian under the National Monuments Acts of approximately 1,000 national monuments located at approximately 750 sites and in such cases there is a statutory duty to maintain the national monument. Such maintenance is undertaken by the Office of Public Works. Local authorities are responsible under the National Monuments Acts for maintaining the national monuments of which they are owners or guardians. A wide range of other monuments (in the order of 130,000) are currently subject to protection under other provisions of the National Monuments Acts but my Department and the Office of Public Works do not have a direct role in their maintenance, except where, as already noted, a monument is a national monument of which I am owner or guardian.
My Department is also providing €350,000 of funding to the Office of Public Works (OPW) in 2015 to assist in the conservation and presentation of historic buildings and national monuments in State ownership.
Finally, in October this year I announced a new €2 million investment scheme for the repair and conservation of protected structures in 2016. This allocation from Capital Stimulus funding will assist with works to safeguard structures, in private and civic ownership, protected under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. This fund will operate on the same model as the very successful Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme (BHJLS), which ran in 2014 and invested €5 million nationally in our built heritage leveraging an additional €10 million, and is expected to support a significant number of projects across the country and create employment in the conservation and construction industries. It will help to regenerate urban and rural areas and will come as a welcome boost to the custodians of heritage properties.
Well maintained historic buildings contribute positively to the vitality of our cities, towns, villages and countryside. Local communities have a great sense of pride in their built heritage, which in turns can help to provide an important source of local employment by boosting tourism.