The Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) was launched in 2018 to support more compact and sustainable development. The Fund is providing part-funding for projects that will enable a greater proportion of residential and mixed-use development to be delivered within the existing built-up footprints of our cities and large towns, while also ensuring that more parts of our urban areas can become attractive and vibrant places in which people choose to live and work, as well as to invest and to visit.
In keeping with the aims of the National Planning Framework and Project Ireland 2040, the URDF demonstrates a new and more tailored approach to the provision of Government support. Over its planned duration up to 2030, URDF support will be targeted in an integrated, dynamic and responsive way to support the regeneration and rejuvenation of our towns and cities.
Already, the URDF is providing assistance for major projects that will contribute to the regeneration and rejuvenation of Ireland’s five cities and other large towns, in line with the objectives of the National Planning Framework and National Development Plan.
Through the URDF, successful applicants are receiving targeted integrated support for innovative holistic solutions to the issues that have hindered the regeneration and rejuvenation of our large towns and cities.
To date there have been two Calls for proposals under the URDF with a total of almost €312m allocated so far in respect of the 87 projects approved under Call 1, while in March 2021 I announced URDF funding support of €1.3 billion in respect of a countrywide programme of 45 proposals approved under Call 2.
At this stage my Department's immediate focus is on ensuring early progress on these important projects and in this regard my Department recently engaged in a series of meetings with local authorities to consider the advancement of the current programme of 132 URDF-supported regeneration and development projects.
The next call for proposals under the URDF will be arranged later this year. As part of the application process my Department will explain the specific focus of the call and provide details of the related qualifying criteria. It will then be a matter for Kerry County Council, as the relevant local authority, to consider in that context which projects will be proposed for URDF support.
