Tipperary County Council to appoint a Conservation Architect. – the decision is being welcomed by Independent Councillor Anne Marie Ryan given the number of vacant hertiage buildings in county but especially in Tipperary town.
Conservation Architects work with property owners advise on the sensitive restoration of historic buildings.
Once the Council’s Conservation Architect is appointed, the person will be available to guide, support and advise building owners on property restoration. Up to now Tipperary County Council availed of the services of a Conservation Architect on a retainer basis. 16 of the 31 Councils across the country currently employ Conservation Architects with some of the cities employing more than one – Cork has 4 while Dublin has 6.
The post will take some time to fill as the confirmation issued by the Council Executive this week reveals that while the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has confirmed funding for this position Tipperary Council must now proceed to seek formal approval for the filling of this position. It is then expected to “take some months for the position to be filled and subsequent commencement.”
In July of this year there was some criticism when the Department of Heritage announced a pilot scheme to provide grants of €7,500 to owners of vacant farmhouses to cover the costs of such specialist advice.
