A Planning Bill will be introduced shortly to give statutory protection to listed buildings as part of "the most comprehensive set of protection measures for architectural heritage since the foundation of the State".
The Minister for Arts and Heritage, Ms de Valera, and the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, yesterday announced the package which includes an allocation of £3.9 million to fund a grant scheme for the owners of listed buildings.
They said this "major Government initiative" would give effect to a commitment to develop proposals, contained in the Fianna Fail-Progressive Democrats Coalition programme, to protect the State's architectural heritage.
The grant-aid package falls short of the £5 million recommended by an inter-departmental working group in its September 1996 report on measures to strengthen architectural heritage protection. But both Ministers say the principle at least has been established.
It is understood there was a major struggle with the Department of Finance, which saw no point in funding a grant scheme even though it was represented on the inter-departmental group.
Last year the statutory Heritage Council stopped accepting further applications from the owners of listed buildings after it ran out of money. Ms de Valera made a special allocation of £900,000 to help clear the backlog.
But the £3.9 million allocation is expected to increase annually. Mr Dempsey indicated yesterday that more funding would be sought as required.
Mr David Slattery, a member of the Heritage Council, welcomed the package. "We're very impressed that they've bitten the bullet," he said. Ms Mary Bryan, of the Irish Georgian Society, said it was "a very positive step".
At the heart of the proposed legislation will be a statutory requirement that the protection, "in their entirety", of buildings deemed to be of artistic, architectural or historical interest will become a "mandatory objective" of each local authority's development plan.
Owners of listed buildings will be required to ensure they do not become endangered. Local authorities will also be empowered to call for repair work and will have compulsory purchase powers to intervene in "extreme cases of neglect".
Apart from a new Planning Bill to give listed buildings statutory protection, there will also be legislation to establish a national inventory of the Republic's architectural heritage. This inventory is to be funded with an annual allocation of £800,000.
The principal local authorities will also receive a total of £300,000 to employ 15 to 20 conservation officers at least on a contract basis. The scheme will start next year.
