CIOB has become officially recognised as a conservation accreditation body in Northern Ireland for both the Historic Environment Fund (HEF) application guidance and The Village Catalyst funding programme.
The HEF provides financial support for projects involving the repair, conservation, research, regeneration, or public engagement with historic buildings, monuments and heritage sites.
The Village Catalyst programme is a heritage-led regeneration fund focused specifically on rural villages. Its core purpose is to bring disused or at-risk historic buildings back into use, support community-led projects, and tackle rural poverty and social isolation through regeneration.
“This move means CIOB members holding Proficient or Certified status are now formally recognised as suitably qualified to lead on these heritage and capital works projects, and crucially, are eligible for public grants,” explains Joseph Kilroy, head of policy and public affairs at CIOB Ireland. “It’s another step forward in ensuring our members’ expertise is acknowledged at the highest policy levels and opens up significant opportunities for the sector in NI.”
Colin Logan FCIOB, consultant and design director at 9yards Property, worked with Kilroy to secure the accreditation.
“The Department for Communities recognition of CIOB as an accredited conservation body is very welcome news for all conservation professionals within our Institution,” he said. “It consolidates the status of our Building Conservation Register and gives funding bodies the confidence to have our Certified Conservation Specialists leading on Heritage projects.
“This recognition is the result of great work by the Policy & Public Affairs Unit, and I’d encourage all members to identify opportunities for having CIOB Membership and our many specialisms recognised as widely as possible, especially within the public sector where there are significant funding and tender opportunities.”
