Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 September 2020
225. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Community and Rural Development and the Islands the amount of funding paid out by her Department for the commissioning of the pilot Town Centre Living Initiative report by a company (details supplied) which was published in June 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25757/20]
View answerThe Town Centre Living Initiative Synthesis Report, which was published on 22 June 2020, is an independent report on the pilot Town Centre Living Initiative which was trialled in 6 different towns across the country between October 2018 and the middle of 2019.
The aim of the initiative, which was supported by my Department and led by the relevant Local Authorities, was to explore how to encourage increased residential occupancy in rural towns and villages and, at the same time, address the issue of vacant properties.
The report on the Initiative outlines the approach adopted by each of the participating towns and their future plans to achieve improved residential occupancy of vacant buildings in their town centres. The report also includes a number of suggested actions for further consideration.
The cost of this report was €12,880.
The learnings from the 6 towns involved in the initiative can now be drawn upon by other Local Authorities to develop their own approach to town centre living. This was one of the objectives the pilot and will enable the mainstreaming of the pilot approach into the operations of other Local Authorities.
Programmes such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme can provide support for projects that emerge from the Local Authorities to support town centre living, subject to meeting the criteria of the relevant schemes and the quality of the proposals.
