Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 201: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if it was intended in the architectural heritage protection guidelines for local authorities that a structure must be of regional interest to warrant consideration for entry in the record of protected structures; if local authorities are intended to be discouraged or precluded from considering for entry in the record of protected structures, any structure of local interest or exceptional local interest, but falling short of regional interest; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45090/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Under the provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000, each planning authority is required, for the purpose of protecting structures or parts of structures which are of special architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical interest, to include in its development plan a Record of Protected Structures and shall include in that record every structure which is, in the opinion of the planning authority, of such interest within its functional area.

The Act also enables the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to make recommendations to a planning authority concerning the inclusion of specific structures in its Record of Protected Structures, and a planning authority must have regard to any such recommendations. These recommendations are based on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) surveys conducted by my Department. The aim of NIAH surveys is generally to include structures which are of international, national and regional importance. The Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities issued by my Department provide that care should be taken when compiling the Record of Protected Structures that all reasonable research has taken place and all structures included merit protection.