Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 April 2024
613. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the LGMA and the National Town Centre First office will carry out a long-awaited collaborative town centre health check for Drogheda, County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13847/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Collaborative Town Centre Health Check (CTCHC) programme was launched in 2016 by the Heritage Council to gather information that supports the regeneration of historic town centres. In 2019 Local Authorities became directly involved in the programme, which has very successfully analysed a number of towns across Ireland in aspects such as land use, vacancy, surveys of businesses and consumers, and a range of other factors.
The success of this programme was one of the contributing factors behind the development of the Town Centre First (TCF) Policy, which was launched in February 2022 by my Department and the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD). The Policy provides a co-ordinated, whole-of-government policy framework to proactively address the decline in the health of towns across Ireland and support measures to aid their regeneration and revitalisation. Since its launch a suite of supports and resources have been developed at national and local level to drive implementation of the policy across the Country.
Town Regeneration Officers (TROs) are now established within local authorities to empower local communities and businesses to form a local Town Team, and to create ambitious new TCF Plans to identify regeneration opportunities, direct investment and maximise the unique strengths and assets of their town. These community based plans are underpinned by a data gathering, analysis and town audit process, which builds on the work advanced by the CTCHC Programme.
The National TCF Office, based in the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), was established as a joint initiative of DRCD and my Department in collaboration with the County and City Management Association (CCMA), to drive implementation, share best practice, and coordinate the work of the TROs. The National TCF Office is tasked with building on the CTCHC Programme and incorporating a broader range of issues and data collection models, to provide for a consistent town analysis process that can be rolled out nationally.
In February 2024, the first phase of Town Centre First plans which have been completed for 26 towns across Ireland, including Dunleer in County Louth, was launched. A new round of 26 towns, including Clogherhead in County Louth, was announced for funding to prepare the next phase of TCF Plans under the Town Centre First Suite of Supports, which also provides funding for certain Project Development Measures, and Town Team Support Measures for up to three towns within each local authority to support the establishment and/or development of Town Teams where they are not already well established.
One of the priorities of the National TCF Office for 2024 is to finalise a review of Phase 1 Plans and prepare a Town Centre Toolkit/Manual to inform impactful regeneration, which will include examples of best practice and methodologies for undertaking Town Centre Audits/ Health checks and other guidance. This Toolkit will be published on the Town Centre First website in the coming weeks.
While the Town Centre Toolkit will support Local Authorities in developing a consistent approach to the implementation of the Town Centre First approach in their administrative areas, the National Town Centre First Office does not have a direct role in undertaking health checks in individual towns and villages to inform the development of TCF plans and projects. The development of individual TCF plans, and the selection and prioritisation of towns and villages for such plans, are matters for individual local authorities.
