The Local Government (Planning and Development) Bill introduced a systematic approach to the protection of buildings in Ireland, the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, said. The Bill has already been passed by the Seanad. "It will bring uniformity to the way in which buildings are protected in the future. The formal record of protected structures created under this Bill will be kept in a standard format common to all local authorities."
The Minister, who was introducing the Bill on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, said that where a building was protected, the whole structure, interior and curtilage would be subject to protection. Any works which affected the character of the building would require planning permission.
Mr Smith said the Government had already announced an annual budget of £5 million from this year to ensure that the package of measures could be fully implemented. Of this, £4 million would be available for grant-aid for protected buildings. Local authorities would be provided with £300,000 annually to assist them in obtaining the necessary conservation expertise, he added.