There's a boost of well over £2m on the way for historic listed buildings in Northern Ireland.

Stormont Environment Minister Alex Attwood has announced he is lifting the temporary suspension on historic buildings grant-aid which had been in place since December 2010. with grants up to a maximum of £50,000 soon available.

Alex Attwood said of the £2.87m being made available: "This will be a boost, not just for our built heritage and owners of properties, but also for our construction industry, creating and sustaining jobs, especially in an economic downturn.

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"I felt it very important to make the restoration of the grant-aid one of my first priorities since taking office.

"We have a fantastic built heritage, which is an inheritance from previous generations, an asset in the present and a legacy for the future. This initiative that I am taking will be a constructive step - to ensuring that legacy continues by opening up the grant-aid scheme to new applicants," he continued.

"I am sure we will see many applicants seeking to repair and maintain listed buildings. In fact, the scheme has very much been the victim of its success in the past, and that is why a temporary cessation was introduced in December 2010.

"We owe it to future generations to ensure that historic buildings, of which there are approximately 8,500 in Northern Ireland, are protected and enhanced. I believe this will be an important step towards that goal."

(GK/BMcC)