- "We are allocating NOK 8.8 million to work with cultural heritage in the municipalities," says Hanna Geiran, Minister for Cultural Heritage.
- Cultural monuments are important for understanding our history. Often they also enrich the cityscape or cultural landscape. The Cultural Monuments in Municipalities initiative has been running for over ten years and has helped municipalities to safeguard the cultural environment in planning and building cases," says Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide.
In this year's allocation, the Directorate for Cultural Heritage has prioritized cultural environment plans, both new plans, rolling out older plans and revising plans for municipalities that have merged. In addition, the county councils and the Sami Parliament have received funding to strengthen their work with courses, seminars and direct guidance and assistance to municipalities that have not yet completed their cultural environment plans.
- "We received 17 applications for grants for cultural environment plans this year, and eight applications for competence development from the counties," says Geiran. We grant all eight applications from the counties and 11 applications from the municipalities for cultural environment plans.
This year, the municipalities of Tinn, Aremark and Hurdal are receiving grants for the first time. The municipalities of Rauma, Vaksdal and Drammen will receive funding to roll out their cultural environment plans. The municipalities of Lindesnes, Trondheim, Øygarden, Sunnfjord and Nordre Follo will receive grants to create a comprehensive cultural environment plan for their merged municipality. The grant amounts to NOK 100,000 for each of the municipalities.
The Ministry of Climate and Environment has earmarked NOK 2 million of the grant pot for the building conservation center Murbyen Oslo.
- Many of our cities have old masonry buildings that are important to preserve. Murbyen Oslo will fill the role of a national building conservation center for traditional techniques and methods in the masonry profession. This grant will therefore also have an impact outside Oslo," says Espen Barth Eide, Minister of Climate and Environment.
Status
The aim is to reduce the loss of protected cultural monuments and cultural environments. A good overview makes it easier for municipalities to prevent the loss of cultural heritage. As of today, 204 of the municipalities have adopted their own cultural environment plan, and another 135 are in the process of doing so.
What effects does a cultural environment plan have?
- Provides increased overview and knowledge of cultural heritage, cultural environment and landscape
- provides efficient planning and building application processing
- strengthens the municipality's planning work and other activities
- strengthens the role of cultural monuments in municipal planning work
- strengthens local democracy and local engagement
- puts the cultural environment on the local political agenda
- actualizes the role of cultural heritage in societal development
- will provide predictability for owners, other sectors and authorities in the cultural heritage area.
- safeguards the cultural environment in comprehensive community planning
- provides a basis for active grant and financial management
