Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2020
1097. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will recommend to the planning authority that a structure (details supplied) be added to the register of protected structures. [11153/20]
View answerMy role with regard to the protection and management of our architectural heritage is set out in the provisions of relevant legislation, as are the roles of local authorities and the responsibilities of owners.
Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, gives primary responsibility, however, to local authorities to identify and protect the architectural heritage by including particular structures on the Record of Protected Structures (RPS). 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.
As Minister, I can make recommendations to local authorities for buildings and structures to be included on the RPS. These recommendations arise from the surveys of my Department's National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH). The area in which the building is question is located has not yet been surveyed by the NIAH and I understand that it is not currently listed in the Record of Protected Structures. I understand the structure concerned is part of a live planning application and therefore I am precluded from commenting on the matter.
