I take it that the Deputy is referring to the designation of areas under the urban, town and rural renewal schemes. The designation of areas under both the urban renewal scheme and the town renewal scheme is a matter for the Minister for the Environment and Local Government in the first instance.
The 1999 urban renewal scheme made provision for the operation of a more planned, integrated and focused approach to tax incentive-based urban regeneration. A significant feature of the urban renewal scheme was the enhanced role of local authorities in selecting sites for possible tax incentive designation, although the final decision regarding the designation of areas and the granting of incentives was made by the Ministers for the Environment and Local Government and Finance. In the selection of sites, local authorities were assisted by detailed guidelines which set out the purposes and aims of the scheme, the criteria to be used in selecting areas, and advice on the approach to be followed.