Adding to Dublin City’s Record of Protected Structures

A protected structure is a building or structure that Dublin City Council considers to be of special interest. The current list of protected structures is published in Volume 4 of the Dublin City Development Plan. If the Council wants to add, remove or change a protected structure, it must first ask for the public's views through a public consultation process. 

How to Request a Change to the Record of Protect Structures

Step 1. Submit the Nomination Form

If you want to make a request to add, change or remove a building or structure, you must fill out a Record of Protected Structures Nomination Form and submit it by email or post.

Step 2. Site Visit and Report

A Conservation Officer will then do a site visit and write a report about the architectural heritage and special interest of the structure.

Step 3. Public Consultation

We will ask the relevant Area Committee of Dublin City Council to consider the report and decide if the process should continue. Area Committees are made up of elected Councillors from the local area.

Once they give permission, the legal stage of the process can begin. This includes:

• placing a notice on site for six weeks.
• notifying the owner and occupier.
• publishing a newspaper notice.
• inviting written comments or concerns from the public.

Once we have notified the owner of the building and published a newspaper notice, the building becomes a ‘proposed protected structure’. From that date, any work that will impact the character of the structure must have planning permission. This includes work to the exterior, interior and fixtures.

Step 4. Final Decision 

We will write a final report and present it to the elected representatives of Dublin City Council. Our report will recommend if the request should be accepted or not. The report may include recommendations or amendments. The final decision is made by the elected members of the Council.

Further Information

Further information about updating the Record of Protected Structures is available in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage's Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities.