Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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249. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide details on schemes that would encourage new buyers of protected buildings, considering that at present my understanding is that grants must be applied for post-sale which is leaving a number of historic buildings unsold and possibly further deteriorating in the process due to the risk involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58866/21]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I am not aware of any scheme aimed at prospective purchasers of protected structures such as the Deputy suggests. My Department, however, offers a number of financial supports for owners of protected structures, which may be of interest to home buyers considering purchasing such a structure.

Part IV of the Planning and Development Act 2000 gives primary responsibility to local authorities to identify and protect architectural heritage by including particular structures on their respective Records of Protected Structures (RPS). Inclusion on the RPS places a duty of care on the owners and occupiers of protected structures and also gives planning authorities powers to deal with any development proposals affecting them.

To assist local authorities and owners in fulfilling their statutory obligations, the Act provides for me, with the consent of the Oireachtas, to make grants to the local authorities for the purpose of assisting owners in carrying out eligible conservation works to their properties. This is achieved through two grant schemes: the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) and the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS).

Under the 2021 HSF and BHIS 562 heritage projects across every county in the country were allocated funding from a combined sum of €6m. I was delighted to launch the 2022 HSF and BHIS schemes recently with joint funding of €8m. Applications for both schemes are now open and details of how to apply are available on my Department's website as well as on the websites of all local authorities. In line with our recently-published Housing for All, applications which seek to return historic structures to residential use will be particularly welcome.

The Historic Towns Initiative (HTI) may also be of interest; it is a joint undertaking between my Department and the Heritage Council, which aims to promote the heritage-led regeneration of Ireland’s historic towns. This year €1.5m was available under the HTI. By working in partnership with owners and local authorities, the 2021 HTI allowed heritage-led regeneration projects to take place in nine towns across the country. The 2022 HTI will be announced shortly. Again, in line with Housing for Allcommitments, the 2022 scheme will encourage private owners and/or occupiers to bring vacant floor area in historic buildings back into use.