Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
766. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if funding will be provided to Dublin City Council in respect of the refurbishment of a building (details supplied) in Dublin. [41473/22]
View answer767. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding streams that may be available to enable Dublin City Council to undertake the refurbishment of a building (details supplied) in Dublin, in order to allow the building to be potentially used for cultural and artistic purposes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41474/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 766 and 767 together.
My Department provides financial support for the protection of eligible heritage buildings and historic structures through two grant schemes which are, in the main, administered by the local authorities. These are the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) and the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS).
The HSF is for conservation and enhancement to heritage structures and historic buildings, in both private and public ownership, for the benefit of communities and the public. The BHIS is a scheme for the repair and conservation of structures on the local authority Record of Protected Structures (RPS). It is designed to leverage private capital for investment in small-scale conservation projects across the country and to support the employment of skilled conservation professionals.
In 2021, Dublin City Council applied to the Historic Structures Fund to receive funding for works to the shopfront of 55 Amiens Street. It was awarded €50,000 under the Historic Irish Shopfront Stream of the HSF, with half of this award being funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. The grant was awarded toward conservation works including the conservation and restoration of the original Irish language shopfront, necessary structural works to safeguard it, and the reinstatement of gilded signwriting.
In October of 2021, Dublin City Council contacted my Department to communicate unforeseen issues relating to the procurement process for the project. As such they were not in a position to draw down the grant by the deadline set out by the HSF Circular. My Department and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media agreed to carry over the funding to 2022 to allow the project to proceed.
Dublin City Council are aware of the schemes that my Department runs and are welcome to submit further applications, when their currently funded works are completed.
