Noel Rock (Dublin North West, Fine Gael)
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36. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the level of interest in the built heritage investment scheme and historic structures fund in north-west areas of Dublin city; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16635/19]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides financial support for the protection of heritage buildings and historic structures through the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) and the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) formerly the Structures at Risk Fund (SRF), which are administered by local authorities.

On 28 March I announced funding of €4.3m for 478 projects under these schemes in 2019. Details of these projects and the funding are available on my Department's website and on local authority websites. 

The Built Heritage Investment Scheme is designed to leverage private capital for investment in a significant number of labour-intensive, small scale conservation projects across the country and to support the employment of skilled and experienced conservation professionals, craftspeople and tradespersons in the repair of the historic built environment. The scheme helps with the repair and conservation of structures that are protected under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) or within Architectural Conservation Areas. It is administered by local authorities.

The maximum grant under BHIS is €15,000. The allocation for 2019 is €2.5m. The minimum offered to each local authority in 2019 was €60,000. Not all local authorities accepted the full amount offered.

Under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme, local authorities assess the applications before sending them to my Department for approval. My Department does not request the total number of applications received by the local authority. In 2019, 55 projects proposed by Dublin City Council, including 9 in the north-west area of Dublin, were approved under BHIS to the value of €308,000, an increase of 3% over 2018.  

The nine projects funded in north-west Dublin under the BHIS are as follows:

-St Columba's Church, 87 Iona Road, Dublin 9 - €5,500

-St Mobhi's Church of Ireland, Church Avenue, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 - €2,500

-131 North Circular Road, Dublin 7 - €5,500

-St Peter's National School, Phibsborough, Dublin 7 - €7,000

-343 North Circular Road, Dublin 7 - €2,500

-41 Montpelier Hill, Arbour Hill, Dublin 7 - €7,000

-Gate Lodge/Coachhouse, Prospect Square, Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin 9 - €5,500

- Church of St John the Baptist, Church Avenue, Drumcondra, Dublin 9 - €7,500

-St Columba's National School, Iona Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 9 - €2,500

The Historic Structures Fund (formerly the Structures at Risk Fund) is for conservation works to heritage structures, in both private and public ownership. The primary focus of the Historic Structures Fund is on conservation and enhancement of historic structures and buildings for the benefit of communities and the public. The fund is generally administered through the local authorities through the local authorities who prepare a shortlist of applications and each one can send a maximum of three private and one public project forward for assessment by my Department.

Grants under Stream One of the HSF are for amounts of between €15,000 and €50,000. Under Stream Two a small number of larger grants, up to €200,000, was also available for historic structures in private and public ownership. Four awards totalling €440,000 were made, of which €240,000 will be spent this year.

Dublin City Council indicated they had received 16 applications under HSF in 2019, of which 6 were put forward to my Department for consideration. A further application was made directly to my Department. Following assessment, 5 projects, including one in the north-west area of Dublin, were approved to the value of €331,000.

The project funded under the HSF for north-west Dublin was: Drumcondra House, DCU All Hallows Campus, Drumcondra, Dublin 9. It received €15,000.