2024 Historic Structures Fund and Built Heritage Investment Schemes

Submission deadline: Monday January 22, 2024

Malcolm Noonan TD, Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, launched on 2nd November the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) and the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) for 2024.

The total funding of €9 million across the two schemes is expected to support repair and maintenance of over 550 historic structures in every local authority area across the country in 2024. These will range from small-scale, labour-intensive projects in individual homes, up to larger-scale projects in major public buildings. This funding will help owners and custodians of our built heritage to undertake the repair and rejuvenation of these historic buildings, presenting them to their best effect today and safeguarding them into the future.

Announcing the 2024 schemes, Minister Noonan said:
“I strongly believe in the importance of supporting communities to protect and conserve our shared built heritage, and recognise that this relies on the dedication of many different parties, including owners and custodians, skilled craftspeople, and local authority experts. As Minister, I have had the pleasure of visiting numerous properties around the country that have received assistance under these two grant schemes and seen first-hand the positive impacts that this work has on the character of a place, the communities that live there and local employment. I would encourage anyone considering applying to get in touch with the Architectural Conservation Officer or Heritage Officer within their local authority as soon as possible.”

The Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Historic Structures Fund will support owners and custodians of protected structures in every local authority area across the country. Together, the schemes will assist hundreds of small-scale, labour-intensive projects as well as larger-scale projects to repair and conserve our historic built environment. These projects will also give significant support to local jobs in conservation and traditional skills.

Overview and key points on each of the grant schemes:

Built Heritage Investment Scheme

• The 2024 Built Heritage Investment Scheme will provide grants of up to €15,000 to individual owners for small-scale works to repair and preserve their historic properties.
• BHIS includes ring-fenced funding of €500,000 for thatched buildings. This will fund conservation repairs to historic thatched structures, helping owners to offset other costs and protecting these cherished buildings into the future.

Historic Structures Fund

• The 2024 Historic Structures Fund will offer up to €200,000 for projects that deliver a major community benefit.
• It also offers funding for vernacular structures and for historic shopfronts. The Historic Shopfront Stream provides funding for the refurbishment and conservation historic shop facades to safeguard these distinctive features of our towns, villages, and cities.
• The Vernacular Stream provides funding for conservation repairs and small capital works to vernacular structures that are not listed in the local authority Record of Protected Structures.

Applications are now open and will run until 22nd January 2024. Details and documentation of the schemes and how to apply are available below.

Contact

Architectural Conservation Section
Planning Department
Clare County Council
New Road Ennis
Co Clare
Telephone: 065 6846407 6846451
Email: forwardplan@clarecoco.ie

Page last updated: 20/11/23

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