Vol. 524 No. 1
133 Mr. Aylward asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will consider accepting late submissions under the town renewal scheme to include areas which evidently should be included in this scheme. [21792/00]
Under the Town Renewal Act, 2000, it is a matter for the relevant county councils to propose sites for designation for tax incentives within the area covered by town renewal plans.
In doing so they are assisted by the detailed guidelines issued to them. These set out the purposes and aims of the town renewal scheme, the criteria to be used in selecting towns for which plans are to be prepared, and advice on the approach to be followed in preparing their plans, including selecting sites for designation. The initial deadline for submission of town renewal plans to my Department was 1 November 1999; however, this was subsequently extended to 31 December 1999 to afford county councils more time to produce good quality plans.
County councils were advised that the extent of proposed designation must necessarily be limited and well targeted and that only sites that clearly fulfilled the objectives of the plan should be proposed for designation. The award of incentives can only be justified where it can be shown that they will assist in overcoming identifiable barriers to development.
The role of the expert panel set up by me was to assess the local authorities proposals and recommend sites for designation on the basis of the plans submitted by the local authorities; the panel confined to examining the sites recommended by the local authorities by reference to the criteria contained in the guidelines. The panel comprised individuals with a broad range of relevant expertise in urban planning, architecture, conservation etc.
In the course of its examination of the plans, the panel sought clarification from local authorities in relation to various issues where this was considered necessary. The expert advisory panel exercised an independent role in assessing the plans submitted and making recommendations on the sites to be designated. The recommendations made by the panel were accepted in full and that is the basis on which designations are now being implemented. It is not proposed to make any further designations under the scheme.
The sites proposed for designation by the local authorities, examined by the expert panels and subsequently approved for designation followed a very detailed, structured and well thought out process. I do not consider that any late submissions can be considered at this stage. My priority now is to ensure that the scheme is implemented effectively in order to ensure that the desired objectives are achieved.
