Environment Minister Dennis Lister announced in the House of Assembly yesterday that 788 properties have been placed on a formal list of historic buildings.

The properties on the "List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historical Interest" are properties that have been deemed to warrant special interest and preservation. Of the properties, 123 are grade one; 243 are grade two; 373 are grade three; and 49 are historical monuments. The Bermuda Government owns 66 of the properties.

Mr. Lister told members of the House the Department of Planning made a concerted effort to keep the owners of these properties informed of the scheme and what it means to them.

He said: "Architecture is our only indigenous art form. It is clearly important in retaining our distinctiveness and attractiveness both as a place to live and as a tourist destination."

Mr. Lister said the list was introduced to identify and protect aspects of Bermuda's heritage amid a changing Island. The properties on the list, he said, were chosen if they fell under one of four categories: architectural interest, historical interest, group value (such as the buildings in the Royal Naval Dockyard), or their age and rarity.

Once a building was chosen, he said, the owner can participate in several schemes to their benefit.

The first of these was an interest-free loan scheme allowing owners to do major repairs or renovations etc. on their home. The scheme would allow owners to borrow up to $100,000 per property per year for work to preserve the property.

Owners would also become exempt from all planning and building application fees.

Mr. Lister said at first several owners objected to their properties being placed on the list for fear their homes would be brought under governmental control.

However of the total of 214 objectors, only ten remained once the plan had been explained in full, he said.

"It isn't a boogeyman," he told House members on Friday. "It's not something they should be afraid of... It's something they should embrace."

The list, he added, will be ongoing, as buildings being built today may be of special significance in the future.

The matter was discussed during a take note motion during the afternoon and received support from both sides of the aisle. Several MPs called for young craftspeople to learn the skills of their forebears in order to be able to contribute to keeping the historic buildings in top shape.