Funding of €4 million will be shared between 512 heritage projects across 31 local authorities in the Republic of Ireland, under the new Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS).
The scheme, announced today (Monday, March 7), by the Minister for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, has awarded grants to a host of properties, which will be used to conserve heritage sites and provide employment.
Through grants of up to €15,000, the BHIS will assist owners of heritage structures, protected structures and those in architectural conservation areas in caring for the properties appropriately.
However, the funding is not limited to privately owned properties. A range of other heritage structures have also been awarded funding, including the Blarney Walled Gardens in Cork, Slane Castle in Meath, and St. Canice’s Deanery in Kilkenny.
Other structures included in the scheme are historic houses, church buildings, mills and a former fever hospital.
Speaking about the scheme, Minister Noonan said:
“These awards will provide an economic stimulus in all 31 local authorities, providing employment to small businesses, skilled conservation specialists and tradespeople.”
The funding can be used to undertake repair works or to contribute towards the upkeep and maintenance of the structure, i.e. roof replacement or draught-proofing windows.
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, welcomed the announcement of the scheme:
“The wide range of projects being funded by this year’s scheme is representative of the diverse nature of Ireland’s built heritage, and demonstrates the ongoing commitment of owners in caring for that heritage.”
Also included under the BHIS 2022 is a continuation of a micro-grant stream introduced in 2020, to increase the resilience of historic structures to withstand the effects of climate change.
This scheme allows local authorities to make smaller awards to owners of historic properties to carry out routine maintenance to offset the impact of climate change on their buildings.