€99k to repair historic buildings in city

A TOTAL of €99,000 has recently been awarded to fund works to repair historic buildings, through Cork City Council’s Architectural Conservation Area grant scheme.

The grant scheme funded by Cork City Council encourages best practices in building conservation, good custodianship, and the repair of Cork’s built heritage.

The grant-aided works involved the repair of historic fabric, such as roofs, rainwater goods, windows, walls, railings, and shopfronts, and the reinstatement of missing features, such as timber sash windows.

There were 22 completed projects, which included numerous residential buildings, a church, an 18th-century ruin, an 18th-century country house, and several commercial buildings. The projects were concentrated in the city centre but also included several structures within the extended city boundary, such as Blarney and Douglas.

Separately, €152,000 was awarded between 15 projects for similar works through the Built Heritage Investment Scheme, which is primarily focused on structures on the Record of Protected Structures; the BHIS scheme is funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Cork City Council’s Architectural Conservation Area grant scheme will be launched again early next year.

The department’s two grant schemes — the Built Heritage Investment Scheme and the Historic Structures Fund — are now open for applications for 2023.

The Historic Structures Fund assists with works to safeguard historic structures in urgent need of repair to help prevent the loss or deterioration of Ireland’s architectural heritage. It also supports owners/occupiers in their long-term commitment to securing the future of the architectural heritage. Only structures or parts of structures in immediate danger of significant deterioration will qualify for consideration for funding.

The final date for receipt of the Built Heritage Investment Scheme applications and the Historic Structures Fund applications is 5pm on Monday, January 23.