Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 November 2018
16. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if the scheme announced in October 2018 to encourage families to return to living in rural town centres will be extended to offshore islands. [45964/18]
View answerA Pilot scheme to encourage people to return to living in town centres was launched in October 2018. The pilot is one of the elements being utilised by the Department to revitalise rural towns and villages.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to rejuvenating towns and villages in rural Ireland. The factors which attract people to live in particular settlements can be many and varied, including the availability of schools, shops, transport and other services. Apart from the need to identify suitable properties which may be available for residential purposes, it is important that the right infrastructure and services are in place to make the town attractive and safe for people and families to live in.
The Pilot scheme takes a holistic approach to town centre living and is being piloted in a small number of towns initially. This approach will allow a number of Local Authorities to develop and test different models which they feel are appropriate to a small number of selected towns of different sizes and in different locations.
The Pilot is being implemented with a view to a wider roll-out over time, and could potentially include suitable candidate towns and villages on offshore islands. The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund will provide an opportunity to take the emerging ideas to implementation stage, if they prove to be effective.
