Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 November 2022
640. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the cumulative budget allocated to the town and village renewal scheme - streetscapes from 2017 to 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56391/22]
View answerThe Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) is part of a range of measures to support the revitalisation of rural Ireland. The Scheme is funded under Project Ireland 2040 as part of “Our Rural Future”, and is administered on behalf of my Department by the local authorities. Since the introduction of the Scheme in 2016, almost €120 million has been approved for more than 1,400 projects across the country. It has supported a range of activities from improving public realm areas to initiatives such as the development of enterprise hubs and remote working facilities. These projects have been identified and developed by local community groups and businesses, in conjunction with their local authorities.
In August 2021, I introduced a new Streetscape Enhancement Measure under the TVRS which aims to improve the visual appearance of streetscapes in our rural towns and villages, and make them more attractive places to live, work and visit. This funding helped to improve the visual appearance of towns and villages the length and breadth of the country. In August of this year, I allocated a further €2.6 million under the Measure. I also allocated funding for investment in digital hubs as part of a Connected Hubs Fund.
Also in 2021, I introduced a new Project Development Measure of over €850,000 for 19 projects. The purpose of this measure is to assist local authorities to contribute to a pipeline of significant, well-developed projects which might be subsequently progressed to constructions stage, subject to the availability of further funding. The 2022 projects are currently being assessed with announcements expected shortly.
In relation to the 2022 TVRS, earlier this year I announced the allocation of €7.5m for the new Building Acquisition Measure to allow local authorities purchase vacant/derelict buildings, with a view to bringing back to use as multi purpose community spaces. I also allocated a total of €1.1m this year to support innovative marketing campaigns to attract remote workers to locations across rural Ireland. In respect of the remaining measures of the 2022 TVRS, applications are currently on hand and being evaluated. I expect to announce further allocations in this regard in the coming weeks.
The following table provides a breakdown of the budget allocated to the town and village renewal scheme across the various measures from 2017 to 2022.
|
Scheme/Measure |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
Total |
|
TVRS |
€21,637,435 |
€21,320,121 |
€14,989,996 |
€15,402,757 |
€18,344,770 |
See Note* |
€91,695,079 |
|
TVRS Accelerated Measure |
- |
- |
- |
€10,390,609 |
- |
- |
€10,390,609 |
|
Project Development Measure |
- |
- |
- |
- |
€862,547 |
See Note* |
€862,547 |
|
Streetscape Enhancement Measure |
- |
- |
- |
- |
€6,535,551 |
€2,600,000 |
€9,135,551 |
|
Marketing Measure |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
€1,121,624 |
€1,121,624 |
|
Building Acquisition Measure |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
€7,553,125 |
€7,553,125 |
|
Total |
€21,637,435 |
€21,320,121 |
€14,989,996 |
€25,793,366 |
€25,742,868 |
€11,274,749 |
€120,758,535 |
* Funding for 2022 projects will be announced shortly
