AQW 24433/17-22

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 18/10/2021
Answered On Date: 10/11/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities what strategic plans are in place to deal with the impact that climate change is having on historic buildings; and what long term plans there are to fund solutions to rising humidity in stately homes.

Answer:

I have recently published my Department’s Climate Change Action Plan for 2021-2022 which includes a number of commitments around understanding, mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change on heritage. A number of these actions are already completed or well advanced, including:

Agreeing a Memorandum of Understanding on Climate Action and Cultural Heritage to support greater North-South co-operation in this area;

Working alongside sister heritage organisations to understand the climate change hazards that may affect heritage assets;

Participating in a Heritage Resilience Summit which will be taking place at COP 26;

Progressing a climate change assessment tool for listed building owners;

Funding a research project focussed on Mount Stewart which will guide and inform the stewards of heritage assets on how, when and whether to adapt their management and conservation planning for sites and assets in their care.

The review of the Historic Environment Fund that is currently underway includes consideration of how climate change can be embedded as a key consideration in my Department’s funding for heritage.