Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 February 2024
397. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if multi-annual funding is in place or planned to be in place for the built heritage investment scheme and/or the historic structures fund through local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6286/24]
View answerMy Department currently offers capital funding spread over more than one year to support heritage structures through several programmes.
The Historic Structures Fund (HSF) is administered by my Department in conjunction with the Local Authorities and aims to support owners of heritage buildings in maintaining the fabric of their protected structures. Stream 2 of the HSF is targeted at larger projects in properties which have a defined community benefit, with up to €200,000 being made available over two years for works to these primarily publicly-owned buildings, subject to the estimates process.
The Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) offers funding to individual owners of heritage properties for smaller scale works, with grants of up to €15,000 available for short-term projects. It is my intention to examine both the HSF and the BHIS during the course of this year in order to ensure they are operating as effectively as possible from an administrative perspective and for the applicants and recipients of the funding.
The Historic Towns Initiative (HTI) is funded by my Department and operated through the Heritage Council. The HTI provides assistance to Local Authorities in supporting heritage-led regeneration in our historic towns and villages, including projects that address dereliction and residential vacancy, the conservation of landmark buildings, streetscape conservation projects, and conservation-led public realm works which encourage investment from other sources. Applications must show how they will build resilience in the historic built environment of the town to enable it to withstand the effects of climate change. Stream 1 of the HTI offers funding of up to €350,000 per project, which can be claimed on a phased basis over two years. The closing date for receipt of applications under HTI for 2024 is Friday 16 February.
Most recently, my colleague Minister O'Donnell has launched the Town Centre First Heritage Revival Fund (THRIVE). This scheme aims to transform publicly owned vacant or derelict heritage buildings within town centres through renovation, renewal, and adaptive reuse. THRIVE is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union under the ERDF Regional Programmes. Up to €120m is available under the programme, with levels of support up to €7m per individual project. Further information on THRIVE is available on from the Southern Regional Assembly and the Northern and Western Regional Assembly at www.southernassembly.ie and www.nwra.ie respectively.
