BHIS-2026
Built Heritage Investment Scheme 2026
Click here for information on the Historic Thatched Buildings Stream 2026 - open for applications until 26 September 2025.
About the BHIS 2026
Ireland’s historic buildings contribute to the vitality of our cities, towns, villages and countryside, while instilling a sense of pride of place. The historic built environment makes a significant contribution to economic prosperity by attracting investment and tourism, providing direct and indirect employment. Our built heritage can also make a vital contribution to the regeneration of urban and rural areas, and their conservation can contribute to the national effort to reduce our carbon emissions.
The primary custodians of structures protected under the Planning and Development Acts are their owners and occupiers. The Built Heritage Investment Scheme (BHIS for short) is a Government grant scheme using funding from the National Built Heritage Service (NBHS) to help support the care and conservation of those buildings. Applicants can apply to Longford County Council under this scheme for qualifying structures in the county.
The scheme runs alongside the Historic Structures Fund (HSF) which enables larger scale conservation works to be carried out on heritage structures. This will be announced later in the year.
Who may apply?
The BHIS provides funding for repair/conservation works to the following types of qualifying structures:
- Protected structures that are listed on the Record of Protected Structures (RPS) of the Longford County Development Plan 2021-2027. Please note that the RPS number for your building may have changed recently, please visit sheet 165 of the link PDF to see the current numbers.
- Proposed protected structures, added to the RPS before 31 December 2026.
- Structures within the boundaries of an Architectural Conservation Area (ACAs).
- Vernacular buildings - buildings and built features which were built by ‘ordinary’ people, as distinct from trained professionals, using traditional methods and local materials.
- Historic shopfronts
If you are unclear whether your structure is eligible under this scheme, you may contact the Heritage Officer at heritage@longfordcoco.ie. The RPS includes the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) registration number which should be included in the application form. Further information can be found at buildingsofireland.ie.
Qualifying and non-qualifying works
Some of the qualifying works under the scheme include:
- Structural stability and roofs
- Rainwater disposal
- External walls and joinery
- Stained glass
- Interior repairs
- Certain energy efficiency improvements
- Professional fees
A full list is available to download by clicking here.
Amounts available and match funding
- Funding is available of up to 80% of the cost of doing approved work- this means you will need to fund a minimum 20% of the project cost yourself.
- The funding awarded for successful projects will be between €2,500 and a maximum of €50,000 (€30,000 in the case of a vernacular building that is not on the RPS).
- The total value of all public funding provided for individual projects must not exceed 80% of the total project cost, which includes other grant supports, such as the the Department of Housing Thatching Grant, the Rural Development Programme or other funding schemes.
- The level of grant support will be dependent on the level of support received from the Exchequer, and will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Please note that the actual grant award may be significantly below the upper limits listed above, and what your application requested.
- While Longford County Council will endeavour to give as much support as possible, it cannot guarantee that all applications will be successful.
How to apply
- Before completing your application, you must read the Built Heritage Investment Scheme Guidance Booklet for Applicants
- Complete and sign the Application form A
- Your application must include maps, photographs, and estimates/quotations for the works. A method statement must also be completed by an architect/ engineer/ conservation advisor prior to commencement. Guidelines as to what should be included in the method statement is outlined in the Guidance Booklet.
- Email your completed application form, application checklist and supporting documents to heritage@longfordcoco.ie by Friday, 26 September 2025. The subject line of your email should include: 'BHIS 2026' and the name of the structure.
- Please do not send in printed applications or send to other email addresses as they may not be seen by the assessment committee.
- Successful applicants will be required to give periodic progress reports, outlining the work undertaken, number of days worked by the contractors and monies spent to that point.
- Successful applicants or their conservation specialist must keep a series of photographs from before the grant-aided elements of the work began, during work and on completion. These should be submitted in JPEG or PNG format as part of the funding draw-down process, along with a short report outlining the works undertaken, the final costs of the repairs, number of days of work by the contractors.
To help with your application, you can take a look a sample application form from a previous BHIS.
Successful applicants will be notified January 2026. Grant-aided works should not start before this time. Successful applicants must begin the grant-aided works by the end of July 2026 and be completed by the second week of October 2026.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will publish the names of the successful buildings. Photographs and updates on the works may be selected for publication on social media posts and reports during the duration of the works and after completion.
