Caretaker Minister Moes informed the House of Representatives on Friday, October 3rd, about the main principles of the new subsidy scheme for major restoration tasks. The scheme will be further developed in the coming months and is expected to be published in early 2026. Owners of non-residential national monuments with a major restoration task can expect to submit a subsidy application in the second half of 2026.
Principles
The new scheme is intended for non-residential national monuments with a major restoration task. These tasks have often been overlooked when it comes to subsidies. Smaller restoration tasks for non-residential national monuments are addressed through provincial restoration schemes. To avoid competition with these schemes, a threshold amount will be set: only projects with more than € 2.5 million in eligible costs will qualify. For owners of green national monuments, the threshold amount is € 1 million in eligible costs. To prevent the available funds from going to just a few owners, there will also be a cap of € 10 million on eligible restoration costs.
The subsidy percentage will be a maximum of 50%. For owners who pay corporate tax and can also charge restoration costs to their profits, a lower percentage of 30% applies.
To ensure that the subsidy can actually be used in the short term, only restoration projects with an environmental permit will be eligible for subsidy.
€ 45 million available in two rounds
For the subsidy scheme, € 45 million is available. This money will be distributed in two rounds through an open scheme, based on clear conditions. In the event of oversubscription, selection will need to take place. It is still being investigated whether the extent of the own financial contribution and co-financing from local authorities can be decisive in this regard. The estimate is that with the available budget, it will be possible to support between 10 and 20 major restorations in total.
The scheme is set up so that it can still be used for any new rounds even after two rounds. Whether new funds will be available for that is uncertain. Decision-making on this is up to a new cabinet.
The full letter to Parliament can be read at Principles of the Subsidy Scheme for Major Restorations.