2026 Built Heritage Investment Scheme and BHIS Historic Thatched Buildings Scheme

Submission deadline: Friday September 26, 2025

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne and Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan, announced on the 25th July 2025, the opening of applications for the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) 2026, including a dedicated funding stream for historic thatched buildings. BHIS supports owners and custodians of historic buildings to maintain and conserve the important structures which form an essential part of Ireland’s cultural landscape.

Administered through the Local Authorities, the BHIS is designed to support these efforts by providing grants of between €2,500 and €50,000 for works to buildings which are protected under the Planning and Development Acts, and to vernacular buildings or historic shopfronts lacking in statutory protection but which remain essential to our architectural heritage. Owners of thatched buildings can also apply for dedicated funding for their heritage structures under the separate thatched buildings stream, though only one grant may be awarded per applicant.

The total funding that will be made available under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) for 2026 will be confirmed in Budget 2026. During 2025, over €8 million was made available for BHIS projects across the country.

Applicants may receive a maximum of €50,000 under the scheme, which must represent no more than 80% of the project’s total cost. For applicants who are successful under the dedicated thatched buildings stream, the maximum award is €20,000.

Announcing the 2026 schemes, Minister Browne said:

"The Built Heritage Investment Scheme is a vital support to those people who have taken on the responsibility of protecting the architectural evidence of our past ways of life while also introducing new vitality into our historic buildings. Whether through inheritance, family connection, the desire for a home, or out of a simple love for the history and character of older buildings, owners and occupiers of historically important structures make a daily contribution to the sense of tradition and character present in so many of our communities. Schemes such as the BHIS therefore help to preserve the record of our shared past while securing the future viability of our historic buildings as homes, workplaces, and community spaces, and I strongly encourage anyone interested in availing of the grants to contact the Architectural Conservation Officer or Heritage Officer in their Local Authority as soon as possible.”

Details of the Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2026 and the BHIS Historic Thatched Buildings scheme are below along with how to apply.

Overview and key points on each of the grant schemes:

Built Herirage Investment Scheme (BHIS)

The Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2026 (BHIS) is for the repair and conservation of structures that are protected under the Planning and Development Acts.

This scheme aims to support:

• a significant number of projects across the country
• the employment of skilled and experienced conservation professionals, craftspeople and tradespersons in the repair of the historic built environment

Grants of between €2,500 and €50,000 are available.

The scheme also incorporates streams for vernacular buildings and historic shopfronts, which were previously part of the Historic Structures Fund, as well as a ‘micro’ grant stream for works of routine maintenance and minor repairs.

Applicants may receive a maximum of €50,000 under the scheme, which must represent no more than 80% of the project’s total cost. Since the applicant must therefore provide at least 20% of the project cost from non-state funding, an example applicant in receipt of the full €50,000 would need to provide a minimum €12,500 of their own funding.

Buildings/structures eligible for funding under the scheme include:

• protected structures (that is, those on the local authority’s record of protected structures)
• proposed protected structures (that is, buildings the local authority has proposed to add to its list)
• structures in Architectural Conservation Areas (ACAs are defined by the Local Authority)
• vernacular buildings (max grant is €30,000 unless the building is also on the record of protected structures and/or within an ACA, in which case the normal max of €50,000 may apply).
• historic shopfronts

BHIS Historic Thatched Buildings

The purpose of the scheme is:

• Protect heritage value of thatched roof buildings across Ireland, including dwellings and other structures
• Financially support owners of thatched roof buildings with their obligations to protect these structures
• Balance the financial needs of the applicants with the conservation needs of the buildings, to assist owners to prioritise best practice conservation techniques to achieve optimum heritage outcomes for the buildings concerned
• Support owners in retaining thatched roof coverings given low-carbon impact of this material
• Aim to balance providing sufficient level of support per property given rising cost of thatching with need to support as many properties as possible per year

The maximum grant available under the scheme will depend on the type of building and the nature of the applicant (up to €20,000). No applicant is guaranteed a set amount of funding under the scheme in any given year.

Applications are now open and will run 26th September 2025. 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: 28/07/25

Content managed by: Planning Department

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