Thatch Repair Grant
Scheme opens
27.02.24
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THE Donegal Thatch Repair
Grant Scheme has opened for applications. Now in its
sixth year, the scheme assists the owners and occupiers
of thatched dwellings and businesses with their
maintenance and repair. The grants allows for
small-scale thatch repairs from €500 up to €3,000 and
the scheme is open for applications until 12 noon on
Friday, 8th of March. |
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A rope-thatched cottage at
Templemoyle, Culdaff was one of the properties that
benefited under the Thatch Repair Grant Scheme in 2023. |
“Over the past five years,
Donegal County Council’s Thatch Repair Grant Scheme has
supported over a hundred thatch repair projects
throughout the county” said Joseph Gallagher, County
Donegal Heritage Officer. “ An updated audit of the
condition of known thatch buildings on the National
Inventory of Architectural Heritage in the Inishowen
Municipal District highlighted the continued rate of
loss. Preliminary results show that 27% of the historic
thatch properties in the Inishowen Municipal District
have been lost in the past 15 years and a further 10% of
them are in a poor or very poor conditions. A particular
cause of concern is the replacement of historic thatch
by some homeowners with slate when only repairs are
required to save and conserve the historic thatch.
Homeowners are reminded that permission is required from
Donegal County Council to replace an historic thatched
roof as it constitutes a material alteration to the
structure.”
“An increasing number of supports are being put in place
to support thatch homeowners. A new annual grant scheme
under the Built Heritage Investment Scheme was
introduced for the first time last year and this has the
potential to allow for six full rethatch projects in
County Donegal every year. The Department is also in
discussions with insurance companies to improve the
availability of, and reduce the cost of, thatch
insurance. It has also issued a free booklet on ‘Fire
Safety in Thatched Properties’ that provides advice to
homeowners on reducing the fire risk in their properties
and has just started to offer a free one-to-one on-site
visit with an engineer on how to apply the published
guidance to your property. Employment, training and
apprenticeship opportunities in the thatching industry
are also being explored in order to encourage more
people to become thatchers .”
Copies of the ‘Fire Safety in Thatched Properties’
booklet is available free-of-charge from the County
Donegal Heritage Office. Applications forms for the
Thatch Repair Grant Scheme are available online from the
Donegal County Council website at
www.donegalcoco.ie or by contacting Joseph
Gallagher, Heritage Officer or Collette Beattie,
Conservation Officer at 074 91 53900 or by email at
thatch@donegalcoco.ie . |
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