Conservation Advice Grant Scheme for Vacant Traditional Houses 2025
Deadline for application is 5pm on Friday, 2 May 2025
The National Built Heritage Service (NBHS), Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage recently launched their 2025 Conservation Advice Scheme for Vacant Traditional Houses. The Conservation Advice Scheme for Vacant Traditional Houses is an expanded funding scheme to provide grants for expert conservation advice to owners of vacant traditional houses who are availing of, or considering, the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant. Click here for information on the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant in Co. Longford.
The Conservation Advice Grant Scheme provides grants to cover 67% of the costs (up to a maximum grant of €5,000) of having a conservation expert with proven and appropriate expertise:
- visit a vacant or derelict traditional building
- conduct a survey, and
- compile tailored conservation advice for the property owner
This expert advice will include a report which outlines the condition of the building and identifies conservation improvements which would restore it to use while enhancing its character, energy efficiency, integrity, and amenity.
The aim of the scheme is to help owners of traditionally constructed houses to understand the heritage value and potential of these structures and to prompt them to consider investment which could protect and enhance the value.
The grant scheme has two streams:
Stream 1
This is open to owners of vacant traditional houses in villages, towns and cities, where the building is a Protected Structure and/or an historic structure within an Architectural Conservation Area.
Stream 2
This is open to the private owners of vacant traditional farmhouses, where the building one of the following:
1. A farmhouse which is a Protected Structure
2. An historic farmhouse located within a rural Architectural Conservation Area
3. A vernacular farmhouse that has no statutory protection
Vernacular farmhouses comprise of modest homes constructed by people without formal training following long established folk traditions, using materials such as thatch, stone, slate, earth, wattle and unsawn timber.
Please click here for information on how to find out if your building is on the Longford County Council Record of Protected Structures (RPS), or within the boundary of an Architectural Conservation Area (ACA).
To apply:
Application forms can be accessed here: gov.ie - Conservation Advice Grant Scheme for Vacant Traditional Houses
The deadline for application is 5pm on Friday, 2 May 2025. The completed and signed application form, reports and all supporting documentation must be sent to conservationadvicegrants@housing.gov.ie only.
For more information and to view supporting documentation, visit Gov.ie.
