Rising insurance costs restrict access to heritage sites

Commenting on the number of visitor attractions which have cut back their activities since this time last year, An Taisce said the State should set up a national heritage insurance commission to underwrite insurance for heritage sites.

The problem of insurance costs had been well documented in relation to heritage properties such as Bantry House in Co Cork, Westport House in Co Mayo, and Birr Castle in Co Offaly, the organisation said.

"All around the country, hundreds of ruined castles and abbeys have been boarded up, or have had access seriously reduced."

Insisting that tourism had provided one-third of all new jobs since 1990, An Taisce said: "It is ironic that the heritage and environment on which tourism is often marketed are under such threat."

Premiums for public heritage sites are now running three to six times higher than those in other EU countries. Both public liability and property policies have seen exponential rises.

Calling for law reform, a spokesman said owners of certified heritage sites and areas of natural beauty or amenity should have their pubic liability insurance underwritten by a national heritage insurance commission provided they ensured a specified degree of public access.

The spokesman instanced five areas in which insurance was a deterrent to heritage protection and appreciation.

These include Birr Castle, where insurance rates have tripled from €20,000 to around €60,000 in 2001-2002. Insurance for Westport House has doubled to €150,000 since 2000. The closure of Bantry House was widely reported as being related to financial pressures.

"Westport House has been attracting 60,000 visitors annually, Birr Castle and gardens 50,000 per annum, while Bantry House attracted 40,000 each year, worth €10 million to the local economy. Bantry is now closed, Westport is restricted and Birr Castle is under severe pressure," said the spokesman.

Meanwhile many antiquities, churches and abbeys have closed to the public in recent years. "Although there is considerable anecdotal evidence to show how access has been affected, An Taisce believes that the State's heritage services need to execute a national survey to assess the situation."

A spokesman for Dúchas said recently that litigation and high insurance costs had destroyed free access to monuments. Many listed thatched cottages and access points to the countryside, and rural walks were also under threat. An Taisce noted that in the Republic the level of compensation claims was 2.5 times that in the UK, while the sums awarded here were 4.5 times the UK average.