The Record of Protected Structures (RPS) is the statutory list, maintained by each local authority as part of its Development Plan, of buildings and structures considered to have special architectural, historical or other specified interest. Inclusion on the RPS triggers legal protection under the Planning and Development Act 2000 and restricts what works can be carried out without planning permission.
The Record of Protected Structures (RPS) is a statutory schedule that every planning authority in Ireland must compile and maintain as part of its County or City Development Plan, under the Planning and Development Act 2000. It lists all structures within the local authority's area that have been formally assessed and included because of their special architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical interest. Once a structure appears on the RPS, it becomes a 'protected structure' in law, and additional planning controls apply to it.
Local authorities review and update the RPS as part of the periodic Development Plan process, which typically runs on a multi-year cycle, and can also add or, less commonly, remove structures outside that cycle through a variation to the plan. Members of the public can propose that a structure be added to the RPS, and the local authority must have regard to advice from bodies such as the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) when assessing significance, although the final decision rests with the elected council.
The RPS is a public document. It is usually published as an appendix or schedule to the Development Plan on the local authority's website, sometimes accompanied by an interactive map, and is also often available for inspection at the council offices. Because it changes over time, always check the current adopted Development Plan rather than relying on an outdated printout or an older newspaper listing.