Brian Brennan (Wicklow-Wexford, Fine Gael)
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445. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if there is any financial assistance available for a homeowner to carry out essential repairs on a protected structure if a built heritage application is unsuccessful; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9538/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department funds a range of grant schemes for the repair and conservation of protected structures and certain other historic buildings.

The Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) provides grants of between €2,500 and €50,000 for a wide range of conservation works; the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) provides grants of between €50,000 and €200,000 for similar works at a larger scale. Both schemes are administered in the main by the local authorities with funding from the National Built Heritage Service (NBHS). The Historic Towns Initiative (HTI), which is administered by the Heritage Council with support from the NBHS, can also provide grant funding for conservation of protected structures where they are located within historic towns.

The total funding available for these schemes is €11m. As demand for grants typically exceeds the supply of funds available, the scheme administrators award funding on a competitive basis, scoring and prioritising applications according to the declared criteria in the scheme circulars. The schemes are now closed for 2025. The application window for the 2026 BHIS is expected to open in July 2025, with the HSF and HTI programmes to follow in December 2025. Building owners considering applying for conservation grant funding are encouraged to contact their local authorities for advice and guidance.

Depending on the circumstances, funding for the repair of protected structures may be available from other sources. Certain local authorities run their own grant schemes for built heritage conservation; where the building in question is thatched it may be eligible for the Thatching Grant provided by my Department; where the building in question is vacant, it may qualify for the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant also provided by my Department.