Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 June 2023
727. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department has any plans to acquire Knocklofty House, Clonmel, County Tipperary to prevent it from further deterioration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27832/23]
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 to local authorities to identify and protect the architectural heritage by including particular structures on the Record of Protected Structures (RPS). This places a duty of care on the owners and occupiers of the protected structure and also confers on the local authority, in this case Tipperary County Council, certain powers and obligations to deal with development proposals and to prevent endangerment of the structure.
In the interests of the management and presentation of the built heritage, my Department will, in exceptional circumstances, seek to acquire certain properties of outstanding heritage value as resources and opportunities permit. Given the responsibilities of the owner and the local authority under the legislation, my Department would not acquire a property simply to prevent deterioration. Accordingly, my Department has no plans to seek to acquire Knocklofty House.
It should be noted that, under the 2022 Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS), Tipperary County Council was offered grant funding for a number of heritage projects within the county. Works at Knocklofty House were nominated by the Council and approved by my Department as one many projects to receive grant funding. However my Department was informed by Tipperary County Council late in 2022 that the Knocklofty House project would not proceed that year. For further information about this decision I would suggest contacting Tipperary County Council directly.
