Ireland’s historic buildings contribute to the vitality of our cities, towns, villages and countryside, while instilling a sense of pride of place. The primary custodians of structures protected under the Planning and Development Acts are their owners and occupiers, and they, along with the Local Authorities, are responsible for their protection.
The Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS) is designed to support people in caring for these structures. It runs alongside the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) which enables larger scale conservation works to be carried out on heritage structures.
The Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2026 is now open for applications. It offers funding of between €2,500 and €50,000 for repair/conservation works to the following types of buildings/ structures:
1. Protected Structures
2. Proposed Protected Structures
3. Structures in Architectural Conservation Areas
4. Vernacular buildings
5. Historic Shopfronts
BHIS 2026 includes a dedicated Historic Thatched Buildings Stream (BHIS HTB) which offers funding of up to €20,000 to support thatched buildings in need of repair and conservation works.
Funding is available of up to 80% of the cost of doing approved work. The closing date for receipt of completed applications is Friday 26 September 2025. Successful applicants will be notified in January 2026.
Some of our recent projects which benefited from the Built Heritage Investment Scheme include the Boomerang Café, the Thatch Bar, Blackhall House, Dundalk Grammar School and Lynn House Gate, all of which are Protected Structures.
