Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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185. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to provide an update on his Department’s support for Ireland’s built heritage sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19787/24]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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My Department supports the built heritage sector principally through the work of the National Built Heritage Service (NBHS), which oversees funding schemes, surveys historic buildings, contributes to policy development, provides technical advice to owners and professionals, and promotes community engagement with our built heritage.

In relation to funding support in particular:

The NBHS provides direct financial assistance 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 of 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). This year these schemes have a budget of €4.5 million each. We will shortly announce a new stream of funding within the HSF to provide expert conservation advice to support the repair and re-use of vacant traditional homes.

The NBHS also advises on the Town Centre First Heritage Revival (THRIVE) Scheme, which has been rolled out by my Department in conjunction with the Regional Assemblies to address European, national and regional policy objectives. THRIVE is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union and is providing €120m to support local authorities and their citizens to re-imagine town centres and to transform publicly owned vacant or derelict heritage buildings within those town centres through renovation, renewal, and adaptive reuse.

The NBHS also oversees the governance and funding for the Heritage Council, which this year has awarded a range of funding to the built heritage sector, including €1.2m to town regeneration projects and plans through the Historic Towns Initiative. I would note also that the National Monuments Service within my Department operates the Community Monuments Fund (CMF), which this year will provide €7m to assist in the conservation and promotion of monuments and historic sites.

While these are the government schemes specifically dedicated to conservation projects, significant additional funding is provided to the built heritage sector via several other government grant schemes including the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, and the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant.

Alongside the work carried out by the NBHS and other stakeholders in collecting data, providing expert advice, enhancing public engagement etc., these supports promote the protection and careful adaptation of our built heritage, so that we can realise its full potential and pass it on to future generations with its historic fabric and character intact.