Written answers

Thursday, 12 November 2015

Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Built Heritage Investment Scheme

Photo of Joe CareyJoe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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13. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of the built heritage investment scheme which her Department recently announced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39549/15]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Built Heritage Investment Scheme, which I recently announced, is a new €2m investment scheme for the repair and conservation of protected structures. It seeks to encourage the investment of private capital in a number of small-scale, labour intensive projects to repair and conserve historic structures and to support the employment of skilled and experienced conservation professionals, craft workers and tradespeople. Protected structures, proposed protected structures and structures that contribute to the character of an Architectural Conservation area will be eligible for assistance. The minimum level of funding awarded will be €2,500 up to a maximum of €10,000. The State’s contribution to each project must be matched by a similar contribution from the private sector per application. The scheme will operate through 2016 and will be administered by the local authorities. All of which have been informed of their allocations and the process and timelines involved.

The scheme is modelled on the Built Heritage Jobs Leverage Scheme, which was very successfully piloted in 2014, that resulted in the leveraging of almost €10 million in private sector investment and generated approximately 175 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) jobs in the construction sector that year while helping to protect 540 historic structures protected under Part IV of the Planning and Development Acts. Two thirds of the structures conserved under the scheme were privately owned properties with the remaining one third being structures vested in charities, trusts, voluntary groups or in public ownership.

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