29 August 2025
By Valerie Ryan
valerie@TheCork.ie
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne, TD and Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan, TD, have announced financial support schemes to conserve heritage buildings. These schemes are the 2026 Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) and the Historic Thatched Buildings Stream (HTB). Cork County Council is encouraging the owners and custodians of historic and protected structures in County Cork to apply for funding under these grant schemes to repair and preserve their properties.
The repair of the thatched roof of this vernacular house in Cork was supported by HTB Scheme.
Historic stained glass window in north Cork repaired through BHIS grants over 2 years.
Applicants can receive grants of up to €50,000 for works to repair and conserve their historic properties under the BHIS. Protected structures, proposed protected structures and properties located within Architectural Conservation areas are eligible to apply. The scheme also offers funding of up to €30,000 for vernacular structures, i.e. buildings with distinctive local and regional character. In previous years many different projects, ranging from churches and thatched houses to country houses, town houses and school buildings have been supported under this scheme.
The HTB Stream supports repairs to historic thatched roof buildings. Owners or occupiers of historic thatched structures (domestic or commercial) can apply for 80% of total cost of conservation works, up to a maximum value of €20,000.
The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Mary Linehan Foley welcomed the announcement, stating: “Safeguarding our heritage buildings is of vital importance. I welcome this announcement and encourage people to avail of these schemes in order to preserve older buildings, many of which are the heart of our communities as well as cultural resources where we reside and work. These schemes protect cherished historic structures, so they can be enjoyed for generations to come.”
Chief Executive of Cork County Council, Moira Murrell added, “County Cork is home to nearly 3,000 protected structures and 52 Architectural Conservation Areas. The Built Heritage Investment Scheme has benefited the County’s heritage significantly in the last number of years. In 2025, 24 historic properties in the County of Cork have benefited from an investment of over €480,000 under these schemes.”
The deadline for submission of completed applications is 4.00pm on Friday, 26th September 2025. Applications can be made by emailing conservation@corkcoco.ie or a hard copy may be addressed to “Built Heritage Investment Scheme” or “Historic Thatched Buildings”, Cork County Council, Heritage and Conservation Office, Floor 3, Planning Department, County Hall, Cork. For further information and application forms, visit the heritage and conservation section of www.corkcoco.ie or email conservation@corkcoco.ie.