The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has announced funding for The Historic Structures Fund 2025. The HSF will invest essential capital in our valuable built heritage and help the owners and custodians of historic structures to safeguard them into the future for the benefit of communities and the public.
The Historic Thatch Buildings Grant 2025 is now also open for applications for funding with a total of €5,000 available for County Wicklow. An application under the BHIS Historic Thatched Buildings Stream does not preclude a separate application under the Historic Structures Fund or the main stream of the BHIS, but only one grant can be availed of per structure. In cases where an applicant is awarded funding under both schemes, the applicant must indicate which scheme they wish to avail of.
All applications are to be submitted to the Planning Section, Wicklow County Council by 4.00 pm Friday 17th January 2025. Applications received after this date cannot be accepted.
For 2025, The Historic Structures Fund will offer grants from €50,000 up to €200,000 only, and focus on larger enhancement, refurbishment or reuse projects involving heritage structures, where:
- A clear community or public benefit has been demonstrated, or
- A clear residential benefit has been demonstrated (such projects must be advanced through the planning process as necessary)
The Historic Structures Fund provides capital funding for works to qualifying structures which include the following:
- Protected Structures
- 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 i.e. must be of special interest from an architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical point of view;
- Structures or works within Architectural Conservation Areas (ACAs), or within the amenity of a National Monument, where exceptional circumstances apply.
The application form and guidance for applicants is provided below. Applicants are encouraged to familiarise themselves with these documents.
Applications must include all the required documentation listed below:
- Completed Application Form A
- Comprehensive Method Statement for the Works drawn up by a competent conservation professional(s) (refer to guidance for further information on the content of a method statement)
- Application Checklist
Works carried out under the HSF must meet all statutory requirements including the need for planning permission. Where works are proposed to sites/monuments protected under the National Monuments Acts 1930-2004, the statutory requirements for notification or for Ministerial consent under those Acts must be complied with.
For more information , please view the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) Circular , Historic Thatch Building (HTB) and associated documents available to download below:
- HSF 2025 Circular
- HSF 2025 Application Form
- HSF 2025 Application Checklist
- HTB 2025 Circular
- HTB 2025 Application Form
- HTB 2025 Application Form
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All applications are to be submitted to the Planning Section, Wicklow County Council by 4.00 pm Friday 17th January 2025. Applications received after this date cannot be accepted.
- 1. By email, to plandev@wicklowcoco.ie, or,
- 2. hardcopy marked ‘HSF/ HTB 2025 Application’ to the Planning Section, Wicklow County Council, County Buildings, Whitegates, Wicklow Town. A67 FW96
The Irish language versions of the H.S.F. 2025 application form and guidance documents are available on gov.ie ( gov.ie - Ciste na Struchtúr Stairiúil )