Protected structures and architectural heritage, told apart
Heritage & protected structures
The Record of Protected Structures, which protects a building, and the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, which recommends it — on one map, drawn so you can never mistake one for the other.
- protected structures, Dublin authorities
- 12,314
- protected structures, Dublin authorities
- NIAH buildings, all 26 counties
- 48,327
- NIAH buildings, all 26 counties
Protected structures
The statutory list
Entries from the Records of Protected Structures for Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin.
Checked on every site
The site audit reports any protected structure within 50m, with its record number.
Architectural heritage
Every NIAH record, nationally
48,327 buildings recorded and rated by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, across all 26 counties.
A survey, not a protection
NIAH records and rates buildings and recommends protection. Only a council’s Record of Protected Structures protects one.
Why they are kept apart
Different colours, different meaning
Many buildings are on both lists, but not all. A building can be protected with no NIAH record, and recorded by NIAH without being protected.
What it can’t tell you
Knowing where the data runs out is part of using it. Here is where this does.
- Protected structures are loaded for 4 of 31 authorities. Everywhere else, no marker means we have no data — not that nothing is protected. Check the council’s own Record.
- An NIAH record does not tell you a building is protected.
- Councils add to and remove from their Records when they vary a development plan.
Heritage & protected structures: questions
What is the difference between a protected structure and an NIAH building?
A protected structure is on a council’s Record of Protected Structures, which gives it legal protection. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage records and rates buildings and recommends protection, but an NIAH record on its own does not protect a building.
How do I check if a building is a protected structure?
The legal source is the council’s Record of Protected Structures, part of its development plan. Precedent has the Records for Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Fingal and South Dublin loaded; for the other 27 authorities, check the council’s Record directly.
Does the heritage map cover the whole country?
The NIAH records do — 48,327 buildings across all 26 counties. Protected structures cover the four Dublin authorities so far.
Built on official public registries
- Records of Protected Structures
- Dublin City, DLR, Fingal and South Dublin county councils
- National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (CC BY 4.0)
All in one platform
Every feature works on the same map, against the same 31 planning authorities.
See it on your own patch
A short call with the founder, on real sites in the county you work in. About twenty minutes — you will know by the end whether it is any use to you.