Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 May 2017
192. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if her Department has given assistance to communities or groups in the past to restore derelict mill sites to running order; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26081/17]
View answerFinancial support is provided by my Department through a number of structured schemes for the conservation and protection of heritage buildings, including mills.
The Built Heritage Investment Scheme is a scheme for the repair and conservation of structures on the local authority Record of Protected Structures. I recently announced over five hundred projects across the country that will be supported by the scheme in 2017, which will create employment in the conservation and construction industries, while helping to regenerate urban and rural areas.
The Structures at Risk Fund enables conservation works to heritage structures which are deemed to be at significant risk of deterioration. Structures must be on the local authority Record of Protected Structures. The fund, administered through the local authorities, seeks to encourage the regeneration and reuse of heritage properties and to help to secure the preservation of protected structures which might otherwise be lost. I recently announced 67 projects countrywide that will be supported under the Structures at Risk Fund for 2017.
Support under these schemes has been provided for a number of mill projects each year for the past number of years. Details of successful projects under the schemes are available on my Department’s website at www.dahrrga.gov.ie.
While the closing dates for both of the above schemes have now passed for 2017, my Department will work closely with the local authorities throughout the year in order to ensure that the best possible use is made of all funds within the schemes, including by reallocating funds where necessary when projects do not proceed within agreed timeframes. The circulars setting out the terms and conditions of the schemes are available on all local authority websites, and on my Department’s website. Any enquiries should be directed to the relevant local authority.
The Heritage Council, which my Department funds, also provides grants for the protection and preservation of the built heritage. It is primarily a matter for the Heritage Council to decide how its funding should be allocated across the range of research, education and conservation programmes it supports annually, having regard to competing priorities for limited resources. Grant schemes for 2017 are advertised by the Heritage Council on its website www.heritagecouncil.ie.
