2025 Historic Structures Fund and BHIS Historic Thatched Buildings Scheme

Submission deadline: Friday January 17, 2025

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD, announced on Tuesday 29^th October a combined €11.1m in funding to be allocated to grant schemes that will support owners and custodians of archaeological and built heritage.

This is comprised of a €7.4 million allocation to the 2025 Community Monuments Fund , an allocation of €3.2m to the 2025 Historic Structures Fund , and an allocation of €500,000 to support historic thatched buildings under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme. The €11.1m announced is in addition to the €6m already allocated to the main stream of the Built Heritage Investment Scheme , bringing the total investment to €17.1m in 2025.

The schemes will support approximately 950 projects in their work to conserve our archaeological heritage, develop traditional building skills, maintain and enhance the character of our historic buildings and streetscapes, and help bring vacant and derelict buildings back into use. The funding will also help to build resilience against the impacts of extreme weather.

Announcing the 2025 schemes, Minister Noonan said:
“I am thrilled to announce €11.1m in funding for built and archaeological heritage, in addition to €6m already allocated. These funds are essential in the conservation and protection of our monuments and historic buildings and streetscapes, which are under threat from external factors such as climate change. The funds also support Ireland’s heritage sector by providing thousands of days of work for skilled heritage professionals. It’s fantastic to see how these funds have grown over the last number of years and I’m particularly pleased to see continued ring-fenced support for historic thatched buildings. We have a duty towards our heritage and to those who champion it and these investments will help to ensure that it continues to enrich all of our lives."

Details of the Historic Structures Fund 2025 and the BHIS Historic Thatched Buildings scheme are below along with how to apply.

Overview and key points on each of the grant schemes:

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.

Any historic thatched structure built before 1970 is eligible to apply, including domestic or commercial properties.

Historic Structures Fund

The core aims of the Historic Structures Fund are to:

• enable larger scale conservation works to be carried out on heritage structures which are deemed to be significant and in need of urgent support;
• encourage the regeneration and reuse of heritage properties and to help to secure the preservation of protected structures and/or culturally significant assets;
• support the investment of private capital in labour-intensive projects to conserve historic structures in public and private ownership for community use.
• support employment in the conservation and construction industries.
• build resilience in our heritage properties to enable them to withstand the effects of climate change.

Applications in respect of refurbishment or reuse projects involving heritage structures, and where a clear residential benefit is demonstrated, are particularly welcomed. Such projects must be advanced through the planning process as necessary.

Funding Available

For 2025, The Historic Structures Fund will offer grants from €50,000 up to €200,000 only, and focus on larger enhancement, refurbishment or reuse projects involving heritage structures, where: 

• A clear community or public benefit has been demonstrated, or
• A clear residential benefit has been demonstrated (such projects must be advanced through the planning process as necessary)

Owners of protected structures seeking funding for smaller scale works, or where there is no community or public benefit, are advised to apply to the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS).

Eligibility

The Historic Structures Fund provides capital funding for works to qualifying structures which include the following: 

1. Protected Structures: Structures in the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) of each Local Authority;
2. Structures eligible for or proposed for inclusion in the RPS but not yet formally approved for inclusion. Such structures must meet the criteria for inclusion in the RPS by the Local Authority, i.e. must be of special interest from an architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical point of view;
3. Structures or works within Architectural Conservation Areas (ACAs), or within the amenity of a National Monument, where exceptional circumstances apply.

Eligible projects will be as follows:

1. projects proposed by local authorities on foot of applications from private applicants who are the owners or custodians of historic structures
2. projects proposed by a Local Authority for works to historic structures in public ownership, where a clear heritage focus and community or public benefit has been demonstrated

Applications are now open and will run 17th January 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: 08/11/24

Content managed by: Planning Department

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