· Extension of Living City initiative to Cork, Galway, Kilkenny, Dublin· Instead of pushing people out of urban areas we must encourage them to live in the heart of our cities· Built heritage was hit hard in crisis: new €5 million investment in heritage buildings from National Lottery sale a vital boost to sectorFriday, October 18th - Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht, has said that the budget marks the most significant policy intervention and investment in built heritage in recent years.
The Minister was speaking at the opening of a two day conference on The Forgotten State of Industry: Irish Industrial Landscapes and Heritage in Glendalough which was once, together with the nearby Glendasan valleys, the most important site for lead mining in Ireland.
Minister Deenihan commented:
"During the crisis, built heritage lost more than 90% of its budget. This allocation of €5 million from the National Lottery sale is an absolutely crucial investment in our heritage buildings. I want this scheme to leverage significant private investment to deliver a much-needed boost for heritage buildings, and for jobs in construction and skilled crafts.
"There are about 50,000 protected structures in Ireland. Thousands of people live in historic buildings.
"The Living City scheme is vitally important. Instead of pushing people and families out of our urban centres, far from where they might work or study, we have to encourage them to live in the heart of our cities. This is more sustainable in the long term, it's better for families and quality of life, and heritage buildings that are lived in and loved will benefit also."
The Glens of Lead is a community initiative working to improve the understanding and protection of Ireland’s most important historic lead mining centre in the Wicklow Mountains. This event is made possible through funding from InterReg 4A (Ireland-Wales) “Metal Links” Forging Communities Together project and is supported by Wicklow County Council, The Heritage Council and the Gathering Ireland.
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Notes for Editors
The Traditional Skills and Buildings at Risk Jobs Leverage Scheme
An allocation of €5million capital stimulus has been announced in Budget 2014 for this scheme. Traditional buildings which could qualify are located in every county in the state. It is intended that this scheme will leverage private capital for investment in a significant number of labour intensive, small scale renovation projects directed at structures protected under the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2012. Projects will normally require input from architects and a broad range of highly skilled craftsmen.
Whilst the details of the scheme are yet to be announced, it is envisaged that the local government system will administer the scheme. Under the Planning and Development Acts additions to and deletions from the Record of Protected Structures are devolved to planning authorities (local authorities). The Department of Arts Heritage and the Gaeltacht estimate that there are approximately 50,000 protected structures in the country.
The Living City Initiative
The Minister for Finance announced in Budget 2014 that this would be extended to Dublin, Cork, Kilkenny and Galway and to all buildings in the relevant areas built prior to 1915. The Living City Initiative was first introduced by the Minister of Finance as part of the Finance Act 2013, as a pilot programme to be delivered initially in two locations – Limerick and Waterford – and limited to Georgian buildings. The Budget 2014 extension of the scheme is considerable.
The historic cores of our cities and towns have suffered from the relocation of family homes and businesses to the suburbs. The Living City Initiative is a targeted pilot tax incentive which seeks to redress this by promoting the regeneration of urban historic areas focusing on:
1. Encouraging people back to the centre of Irish cities to live in historic buildings;
2. Encouraging the regeneration of the retail heartland of central business districts.
The initiative will provide tax incentives for works carried out to refurbish residential and retail buildings in the designated areas either to bring them up to a habitable standard or to make improvements to buildings which are currently inhabited. Legislation will be provided subject to commencement order which will be dependent on EU State Aid approval.