Holly Cairns
Ceist:691. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide an update on the work of the town centre-first policy. [21216/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 14 May 2024
Ceisteanna (691)
Freagraí scríofa
The Town Centre First (TCF) Policy is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. It supports the Our Rural Future (ORF) vision for a thriving rural Ireland which is integral to our national economic, social, cultural and environmental wellbeing and development.
The Town Centre First National Office is key to the success of the policy. It supports Town Regeneration Officers (TROs), funded by my Department in all eligible local authorities, in driving implementation at a local level. My Department collaborates closely with the National Town Centre Office as well as TROs, local authority officials and Town Teams.
Amongst the initiatives supported by my Department under TCF is the development of TCF Plans which help rural towns develop a vision for their local areas and identify viable projects to realise this vision. The pilot programme consisted of 26 plans which are now all completed and can be viewed on the towncentrefirst.ie website.
Last February, I launched a new TCF suite of supports which is providing €4.5 million to support broader efforts to regenerate town centres through a bottom-up approach. It is supporting the development of a further 26 town plans, the establishment and development of Town Teams and the completion of Project Development Measure (PDM) projects. Funding has been awarded to successful towns to develop a town plan and I expect to announce further towns to receive support and successful PDM projects shortly.
My Department also administers a range of funding schemes, many of which are linked to TCF such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS). This strategic link between policy, communities and schemes is key to successful outcomes.
I announced the fifth RRDF Category 1 call for applications last November with a focus on revitalising our rural towns and villages by supporting sustainable regeneration projects. This week, I announced the 30 successful projects under this call that will receive funding of over €164 million for projects located right across the country.
At the end of April last, I also announced €20.4 million in funding to support 82 successful projects under the 2023 Town and Village Renewal Scheme. The 2023 scheme placed particular emphasis on projects that bring economic and social vibrancy to town centres in line with TCF and Our Rural Future, and encourage more people into town and village centres to work, shop and socialise.
My Department remains committed to the success of the Town Centre First policy to deliver on the goal of revitalising rural towns and villages.