Mr. Peter Hynes:

Okay. The suggestion from this side would be that we could certainly move to having one in every municipal district and that would be part of a MD team, which is what we have set up, so that the coalface is populated by a team including architect, engineer and planner working together.

There is dereliction everywhere. We can fix some of it with housing. Every local authority has done that and it is very beneficial. We cannot turn all our towns and villages into housing schemes and there needs to be a balance.

I will go through the exemplar of Westport, which is the one I know best. I am not saying it is the only one, but it is one that is reasonably well known as a town that has been turned around in 20 years. It had a very good location and an enviable layout. In the 1980s and early 1990s, however, one could have bought a big chunk of Westport for very little money.

One third of Bridge Street was derelict. The town had its problems. The turnaround was the preparation of a master plan in the early 1990s which engaged all the community and commercial groups in the town. There were more than 90 such groups so it took a long time to put the master plan together. It was not just a planning exercise but looked at urban design, what would fit in the back lands and gave guidance, not binding but illustrative, on that. Then there was the seaside resort scheme. It invested €200 million, of which €150 million was in the private sector and €50 million in the public sector, including €40 million on a sewerage scheme. That kind of money makes an impact and is necessary in some instances. Policies were developed on issues such as signage, quality materials in the public realm and public art.

When we summarise the project we show three illustrations. One is Westport in the "good old days" of the 1890s which were not necessarily as good as one might think unless one is looking through rose-tinted glasses. The picture shows a monument to a man named Glendenning, who was the landlord's agent and a deeply unpopular person. The second image is a photograph of Westport as I remember it in the 1970s and early 1980s. Glendenning had been shot off the column, having been used for target practice during the War of Independence - I will not say by whom - and the column was empty. The whole of the Octagon, the central public space, served as a carpark. As a result of the master plan, community engagement, the collaborative approach and investment, we see in this photograph a different Westport today. The image shows the Octagon which includes a sculpture erected as part of the prize for winning the best place to live in Ireland competition in 2012.

We recommend that responsibility be examined as an issue. Responsibility for towns and villages is spread over at least four lead Departments as well as other agencies. That needs to be rationalised. The methodology is reasonably well known and there is no need to reinvent the wheel. There is definitely a need for residential incentives which is something that will emerge from the discussion later this morning. We support the suggestion of a centre of excellence. It should be located in a Department or another public body. There is a need for communication. We must change the narrative around small towns and villages. The more we spread the story that they are dying on their feet, the more that will happen. A little of the reality is about perception, and that needs to be addressed.

I will pass over to Ms Catherine McConnell who represents the residential scheme in Mayo.