Historic Structures Fund

Historic Structures Fund (HSF) 2023– Announcement

Leitrim County Council wishes to invite applications under the above funding scheme as operated by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The core aims of this fund are to enable larger scale conservation works to be carried out on heritage structures which are deemed to be significant and in need of urgent support; to encourage the regeneration and reuse of heritage properties and to help to secure the preservation of protected structures and/or historic-culturally significant assets;  to support the investment of private capital in labour-intensive projects to conserve historic structures in public and private ownership for community use. 

The Historic Structures Fund will have three Streams:

• Stream 1 will offer grants from €15,000 up to €50,000 and is aimed at essential repairs and smaller capital works for the refurbishment and conservation of heritage structures.
• Stream 1, Historic Shopfronts sub-stream – To incentivise the conservation of historic shopfronts each Local Authority is invited to submit an additional application under Stream 1 for eligible essential repairs and small capital works for the refurbishment and conservation of historic shop facades, windows, signage and other associated details to safeguard them and keep them in use. Local Authorities are also invited to make an additional application for Irish-language shopfronts.
• Stream 2 will offer a small number of grants from €50,000 up to €200,000 for larger enhancement, refurbishment or reuse projects involving heritage structures, where:
  a. A clear community or public benefit has been demonstrated, or b. A clear residential benefit has been demonstrated (such projects must be advanced through
  the planning process as necessary).
  A grant of over €200,000 may be awarded in exceptional circumstances where a case is made by the applicant in relation to the significance of the project and the works proposed.
• Vernacular Structures Stream - In the context of the forthcoming strategy for built vernacular, the pilot stream for vernacular structures introduced in 2021 will be retained, with funding of €150,000. The purpose of the stream is to support conservation repairs and small capital works to vernacular structures that are not listed in local authority Records of Protected Structures or otherwise legally protected. Such structures may be located within an Architectural Conservation Area. All local authorities can apply for funding for specific projects of between €5,000 and €10,000 for eligible projects.

Who Can Apply?

The Historic Structures Fund provides capital funding 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. Such structures must meet the criteria for inclusion in the RPS by the Local Authority, i.e. must be of special interest from an architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical point of view;
• Vernacular structures or works within Architectural Conservation Areas (ACAs), or within the amenity of a National Monument, where exceptional circumstances apply.

This Grants scheme will be administered by Leitrim County Council. Applicants should read the Guidelines and be familiar with the qualifying criteria and conditions of the scheme.

The latest date for receipt of completed applications is 4.00 p.m. on Friday 26th January 2024. For further information please contact the Planning Department, Leitrim County Council,  Aras an Chontae, Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim. Telephone 071 9650450. Email planning@leitrimcoco.ie.

Applications should be sent to the following address:

Historic Structures Fund, The Planning Department, Leitrim County Council, Aras an Chontae, Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim.