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The vision of the Irish Georgian Society is to conserve, protect and foster a keen interest and a respect for Ireland’s architectural heritage and decorative arts. These aims are achieved through its scholarly and conservation education programmes, through its support of conservation projects and planning issues, and vitally, through its members and their activities.

Press Release: Irish Georgian Society calls for reinstatement of State funding for conservation projects

01.08.2018

Posted by IGS

An Irish Georgian Society submission to the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (attached) highlights a one-third reduction in the Department’s Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) from 2017 levels.

Launched in 2016, the BHIS aims “to leverage private capital for investment in… small-scale conservation projects”, and to “support employment… in the repair of the historic built environment”[1].

The Irish Georgian Society highlights how funding was inexplicably reduced from €3.5m in 2017 to €2m in 2018 in spite of the recognised benefits of public grant aid in generating investment in conservation projects and consequent jobs creation[2].

It notes how an adequately resourced grants scheme is consistent with commitments made by the State under the Granada Convention for the protection of the architectural heritage of Europe which it ratified in 1997, as well as national policy commitments such as those set out in Ireland 2040: National Planning Framework.

The Irish Georgian Society also questions the inconsistent manner in which grants are allocated both to local authorities and to individual projects. They note that some local authorities receive substantially more funding per protected structure than others, and that the average size of grants awarded can vary substantially from one county to another.

In this regard they show that Leitrim received €155.63 per protected structure whilst Cork County received only €16.99, and that average grants in Galway City amounted to €13,400 whilst those in Galway County were €4,167.

The Irish Georgian Society has called on the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to reinstate funding for the BHIS to the 2017 level at the very least and recommends a review of the scheme so as to ensure consistency in the allocation of funding to local authorities and the awarding of grants for conservation projects.

Contact: Donough Cahill, Executive Director IGS
Email: dcahill@igs.ie
Tel. 01 679 8675

[1] Built heritage Investment Scheme 2017 - Guidance Circular, 2017, DAHRRGA

[2] Economic Evaluation of the Historic Environment Ireland, 2011, Ecorys

Download submission (pdf) on funding for and the structure of the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS).