The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Heather Humphreys TD, has today (Thursday) announced funding of €904,530 to 57 heritage projects under the Structures at Risk Fund (SRF) for 2016. The scheme provides funding for protected buildings in private and public ownership. The funding being provided ranges from €4,000 per project to over €26,000 per project.

Please promote this announcement through your social media channels. Please see below the list of projects being awarded funding for 2016

This scheme was first introduced in 2011, and since then it has made an invaluable contribution to the preservation and protection of our built heritage. This year, 57 projects across 27 local authority areas will benefit from direct funding. Heritage projects in every region across the country are set to benefit under this scheme.

Support for our built heritage, is vital not only for the safekeeping of Ireland’s architectural heritage, it also helps to support employment in the conservation and construction industries. Investing in our heritage will also play a very important role in rural regeneration.

This year, historic houses were eligible to apply for funding under the scheme. Minister Humphreys launched the Action Plan for the Sustainable Future of the Irish Historic House at the end of last year, which set out a roadmap of actions, including the broadening of funding sources, for this specific area of Ireland’s architectural heritage.

Improving the quality and aesthetics of historic structures can add to a community’s sense of pride and contributes hugely to the revitalisation of rural towns and villages. Heritage buildings are a very important part of our cultural landscape, and as the economy continues to improve, the Government hopes to be in a position to support the heritage sector to the benefit of communities across the country.

Note:

The Structures at Risk Fund provides funding for works to safeguard structures, in private and public ownership, protected under the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and in certain cases, works to structures within Architectural Conservation Areas. Typical works to be funded under the scheme include roof repairs, structural consolidation and measures to ensure weather tightness.

Fine Gael to examine actions of lending institutions in relation to home repossessions

Acting Chair of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party, Minister of State Catherine Byrne, has said the Fine Gael party is to examine the matter of home repossessions and the actions of lending institutions in this regard.

Deputy Byrne was speaking after the Fine Gael Party passed a motion submitted by Bernard Durkan TD on the matter, at its Parliamentary Party meeting last night (Wednesday).

The motion called on the Fine Gael Party to examine the extent to which various lending institutions continue to press for the repossession of family homes or buy to let properties, which may have an impact on the number of applications for Local Authority Housing.

A report will be conducted on this matter by the Fine Gael party, with a view to making recommendations to Government.