Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 March 2021
699. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason funding under the urban regeneration and development fund 2021 has not been granted to Kildare County Council in respect of a second bridge in Newbridge, County Kildare. [15265/21]
View answer711. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reason a project (details supplied) in County Kildare did not receive funding under the recently announced urban regeneration and development fund; if the project will be considered under future funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15419/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 699 and 711 together.
The second call for proposals under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund was launched in January 2020. A copy of the circular setting out the objectives of the Fund together with the application form and assessment criteria have been available on my Departments website since then, and can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/908737-how-to-apply-for-the-urban-regeneration-and-development-fund/.
The primary focus of Call 2 of the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is on supporting projects that will contribute to compact growth and that will improve the liveability of our cities and towns. In total, my Department received 76 project proposals (with a total URDF ask in excess of €2bn) with every local authority submitting at least one proposal, and all of which required rigorous assessment.
The quality of proposals submitted under Call 2 was generally very high, demonstrating the commitment of local authorities to avail of the opportunities provided through the URDF. Most applications were well aligned with the objectives set out in local Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSES) and Metropolitan Area Strategic Plans (MASP) where relevant, demonstrating local authorities’ evident ambition to effect impactful regeneration and rejuvenation of urban areas and in that context local authorities’ clear understanding of and commitment to implementation of the National Planning Framework.
Generally, proposals were deemed suitable for URDF support for the following reasons:
(i) Proposal is the right project in the right place, addresses the particular location specific requirements and aligns well with the objectives of NPF (City/Regional Drivers);
(ii) Proposal itself is a good response to the core assessment criteria;
(iii) Proposal represents a strategic and integrated approach to Urban Regeneration (has the potential to act as a catalyst for wider advancement of the regeneration agenda)
(iv) Proposal represents a viable option for investment (viable, deliverable and sustainable)
Generally, proposals were deemed unsuitable for the following reasons:
(i) Proposal did not respond to core assessment criteria of Fund or the quality of the proposal was low;
(ii) Proposal was a routine standalone capital project more related to other capital funding sources available by another Department or Agency;
(iii) Proposal did not demonstrate value for money or was not considered deliverable or sustainable in the context of the URDF programme.
The proposal in question was one of four submitted by Kildare County Council under Call 2 of the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund. While this proposal was unsuccessful, the Council was very successful in securing €15,642,624 in URDF support which has been provisionally approved in respect of its other three proposals.
A copy of the detailed assessment of this project will soon be provided to Kildare County Council following which my officials will be available to engage with Council officials to provide any further feedback/information required.
