When people in the street say Stormont needs to clean up its act, what is about to happen at the famous old building might not be what they had intended.
It has, when operating at full steam rather than being a tourist attraction, seen its fair share of mud-slinging in the Assembly chamber.
But it is a Grade A listed building where history is engrained in the walls — along with some cow manure and bitumen used to camouflage it during the Second World War.
It is one of the iconic sights of Northern Ireland, a building that draws global attention and provides an image recognised worldwide.
Starting next month, it will undergo a facelift and clean-up to give it the look it deserves.
The Assembly Commission did not reveal how much the work will cost, due to the early stages of plans.
First opened in 1932, it deserves a grandeur to match its importance.
Also, the hope would be that eyes will be cast further afield to many more of the province’s historic locations which are in need of a little care and attention.
We don’t need to look too far to find parts of Belfast in dire need of a revamp.
Whole areas of the city have faded and aged, with no attention given where it’s badly needed.
Historic buildings lend a unique quality to the architectural look of any city, but only if they are maintained in the way they should be.
Many are vacant, and the longer they sit unoccupied, the more derelict they become.
These are all buildings of significance which carry with them a part of the story of Belfast.
Before long, those pieces of the story will disappear for good.
“Shockingly underfunded and undervalued” was how the Ulster Architectural Heritage summed up the state of historic buildings when, earlier this year, it revealed the number of historic buildings on Northern Ireland’s heritage at risk register has almost doubled over the last three years, from 600 in 2020 to 1,098 in 2023.
The group cited a culture that “prioritises short-term profit over long-term sustainable regeneration”.
Parliament Buildings may be one of the jewels in the Northern Ireland architectural crowns, but there will be little point in polishing it alone when others are left to rot.
And perhaps the Assembly can come together with the basis of a plan to ensure the history of Northern Ireland is preserved through its buildings.