The Sunday Business Post

There is a presumption among homeowners that features such as a private driveway, PVC windows, a Shaker-style kitchen with all mod cons or a second bathroom are God-given rights. But as an increasing number are discovering, stricter conservation guidelines can rule out such improvements. There are over 9,000 protected structures in and around Dublin city, and a number of owners are now faced with orders instructing them to preserve features specific to their property. Since last year, the system of listed buildings has been replaced with strengthened procedures for the preservation of what are called `protected structures'.