Historic Structures Fund 2025
The Historic Structures Fund 2025 (HSF 2025) seeks to assist the conservation and enhancement of protected structures and buildings. This scheme works to safeguard structures or parts of structures in immediate danger of significant deterioration for the benefit of communities and the public. It is administered in County Longford by the Longford County Council Heritage Office on behalf of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The Historic Structures Fund provides capital funding for works to qualifying structures which include the following:
- Protected Structures (click here to see if your building is on the Longford County Council Record of Protected Structures)
- Structures proposed for inclusion in the RPS but not yet formally approved for inclusion. (Conditions apply);
- Structures or works within Architectural Conservation Areas (ACA), or within the amenity of a National Monument, (exceptional circumstances apply). To see if your building is within the Battery Road or Ardagh Architectural Conservation Areas,please click here. Please note that an ACA boundary may not include buildings on both sides of a road.
Some changes have been made to the scheme in 2025. This year, the Historic Structures Fund will offer grants from €50,000 up to €200,000 only, with a focus on larger enhancement, refurbishment or reuse projects involving heritage structures, where:
- a clear community or public benefit has been demonstrated or
- a clear residential benefit has been demonstrated (such projects must be advanced through the planning process as necessary)
Applicants are required to provide 50% of the total project cost, in exceptional circumstances a higher percentage may be sought with a 80% max of a grant.
It is a requirement of the Historic Structures Fund that the applicant engages an appropriately qualified conservation professional to develop the method statement and oversee the work.
How to apply:
Please submit the following to heritage@longfordcoco.ie, with 'HSF 2025 and the name of your structure' in the subject line prior to 17 January 2025:
- Completed and signed Application Form A
- Completed Application Form A checklist
- A short, but comprehensive, report giving a historic development overview, images, mapping, and a method statement setting out the works to be undertaken, how they are to be undertaken and which materials.
Please note that each application will be assessed fairly, Longford County Council are limited in the number of applications it may shortlist per stream. The final decision regarding the success of the applications rests with the relevant Minister and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The grant-aided works may only commence once the grants have been announced. The works must commence prior to August 2025 and be completed by the second week of October, to enable the works to be inspected, final reports written and the grants paid prior to the end of November.
