£1m fines in Bill to protect buildings

Fines of up to £1 million are among measures in a new Bill to protect the State's architectural heritage, announced by the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr Dempsey, yesterday.

Under the terms of the Bill, which is to be introduced into the Seanad immediately and which is due to be enacted early next year, all planning authorities will be obliged to create a list of protected structures as part of their development plans. Buildings may, however, be added to the list at any time, independently of the five-year development plan reviews.

The Bill will also ensure that where a structure is protected, the protection covers the whole structure, interior and curtilage (yards or enclosed areas) and owners and/or occupiers of protected structures will be obliged to ensure that they do not become endangered.

Planning authorities may also require work to be carried out to restore the character of a protected building. However, where offending alterations have planning permission, the planning authority must pay for the restoration.

It is to become a criminal offence to damage a protected building, with fines of up to £1 million, while the owners and occupiers can also be penalised if the buildings become neglected.

However, while the Bill is expected to confer some expense on the owners of listed buildings, a new system of grants is to be inaugurated at a cost of £3.9 million, which will be administered by local authorities.

Local authorities have also been told by the Minister that they may draw on the assistance of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, which is administered by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands. "The new regime which will come into operation under this comprehensive new legislation will stand up well to any international comparison", the Minister said.