Heritage funding allocated for 13 local buildings

Thirteen Westmeath heritage buildings have been allocated funding through the Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS).

The 13 local funding recipients include Tullynally Castle, which has been allocated €13,000 for external fixture repair, Railway House in Multyfarnham (€11,000 for roof repair, structures and coverings) and Glenmore House, Dublin Road, Mullingar (€14,000) external joinery repair.

Minister of State for Local Government, Peter Burke, TD, welcomed the announcement, stating:

“The continued success of the Built Heritage Investment Scheme highlights the efforts of the Local Authorities, particularly the Architectural Conservation Officers, Heritage Officers and planning and administrative staff, and the close working relationship they have with the Department. I’m delighted to see 13 projects in Westmeath have been granted funding. Once again, the BHIS will fund conservation work on many projects within our towns, in line with this Government’s commitment to put Town Centres First.”

Through grants of up to €15,000, the BHIS assists owners of heritage structures – including those on the local authorities’ Record of Protected Structures and those in Architectural Conservation Areas – to meet their obligations to care for their properties. The funding can be used to undertake repair work, contributing to the upkeep and maintenance of heritage structures. Examples include roof, wall and joinery repair, draught-proofing windows, lime rendering and the repair of stained-glass windows.

The scheme is not limited to private dwellings and also provides assistance to a wide range of other important heritage structures – this year’s BHIS includes awards to historic landmarks including Blarney Walled Gardens in Cork; Slane Castle, County Meath; St Canice’s Deanery in Kilkenny; and Bus Áras, Dublin as well as historic houses, church buildings, mills, and a former fever hospital.

Also included under the BHIS 2022 is a continuation of a micro-grant stream introduced in 2020 to increase the resilience of historic structures to withstand the effects of climate change. This allows local authorities to make smaller awards to owners of historic properties to carry out routine maintenance to offset the impact of climate change on their buildings.