Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 September 2025
560. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline any grants available to a person wishing to convert an old building into an interpretive museum, and if there are any grants available for preservation of old buildings if used to educate, or as a museum. [51508/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder my Department, the National Built Heritage Service (NBHS) provides two main grant schemes to support for the protection of eligible heritage buildings and historic structures. These include capital grants for conservation works as well as financial assistance for owners to obtain conservation advice for their historic structures. The Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) and the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) are, in the main, administered by the local authorities, while applications for the Conservation Advice Grant are made directly to my Department.
The BHIS provides capital funding of between €2,500 and €50,000 for repair or conservation works to the following types of buildings:
Protected structures
Proposed protected structures
Structures in Architectural Conservation Areas (ACAs)
Vernacular buildings
Under BHIS, each local authority receives an allocation of funds from my Department based on the proportion of structures on their Register of Protected Structures (RPS) when compared to the national total. Each local authority can award funding to eligible applications within their area that meet the terms and conditions of the BHIS circular. Within the BHIS separate ring-fenced funding is available for thatched buildings under the Historic Thatch Grant. The purpose of this scheme is to protect the heritage value of historic thatched roof buildings. Any historic thatched structure, including domestic or commercial, is eligible for this scheme.
The Historic Structures Fund provides capital funding of between €50,000 and €200,000 for works to qualifying structures which include the following:
Protected Structures: Structures in the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) of each Local Authority;
Structures eligible for or proposed for inclusion in the RPS but not yet formally approved for inclusion.
Structures or works within Architectural Conservation Areas (ACAs), or within the amenity of a National Monument, where exceptional circumstances apply.
Eligible projects should be:
projects proposed by local authorities on foot of applications from private applicants who are the owners or custodians of historic structures
projects proposed by a Local Authority for works to historic structures in public ownership, where a clear heritage focus and community or public benefit has been demonstrated
The HSF is a nationally competitive scheme, whereby local authorities present a shortlist of eligible applications for consideration to my Department each year. The standard of conservation projects received is always very high and the scheme is always over-subscribed. For the 2025 awards, each local authority could present up to three privately owned structures for consideration. These are assessed at a national level by officials from the NBHS within my Department, with 28 projects ultimately being awarded funding for 2025 last March.
It is important to note that these grants fall under the Heritage remit of my Department.
Grants facilitating a museum and /or educational aspects, may be able to seek funding from Departments with responsibility for culture, tourism, and education for example.
