Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Planning authorities are already empowered to protect the architectural heritage in the interest of proper planning and sustainable development within their respective functional areas, and to prevent its deterioration, loss or damage. This role is reflected in the adoption of suitable policies for protecting the architectural heritage in development plans and giving practical effect to those policies through development control decisions, generally by liaison between planning officers and conservation officers. I am not contemplating further legislation in this area at present.

In the present legislative framework, specific provision is made for development plans to include objectives,inter alia, for the protection of structures, or parts of structures, which are of special architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical interest; and the preservation of the character of architectural conservation areas. Provision is also made for the designation of architectural conservation areas, in respect of which development plans may include an objective to preserve the character of the place, area, group of structures or townscape. In considering an application for permission for development in regard to land situated in an architectural conservation area, a planning authority, or the board on appeal, must take into account the material effect, if any, that the proposed development would be likely to have on the character of the architectural conservation area.

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