Conservation and Built Heritage

Conservation

There are many fine buildings in County Waterford ranging from castles and country houses to the everyday buildings within our towns and villages.  These architectural and historical features are all significant sources of information about our past and form landmarks in our present surroundings creating areas of local character and distinctiveness.  They are an irreplaceable record, which contributes to our understanding of both the present and the past. The built fabric of our past is to be valued and we have a duty to ensure that it is conserved and passed on the future generations as a central part of our common cultural heritage.

 

 The importance of our architectural heritage is recognised through legislation and Part IV of The Planning and Development Act 2000 deals with Architectural Heritage and each planning authority has a duty to protect structures or parts of such structures, which are of special interest. This is done by compiling and maintaining a Record of Protected Structures (RPS) for its functional area. This is a mechanism for the statutory protection of the architectural heritage and the RPS forms part of the County Development Plan. There are over 500 structures on the RPS for Co. Waterford and includes demesne landscapes, churches, bridges, thatched houses, and stone depots.

Contact Conservation Officer:
Rosemary Ryall
Fax: 058 45606
Email: rryall@waterfordcoco.ie

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