Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

When the Department issues the call for the urban regeneration fund or town and village funds, there is often a timeline on it and it can put the local district engineer or architect under time pressure. It would be better if they had a shelf of projects ready to pick off, already designed and ready to go, so when the funding is announced, they can choose whatever project they have brought to the state it is in. It costs a district or local authority money to get projects to that level. Often, they have to think about whether they should put money into such a project or into something immediate. Is funding available for local authorities to prepare plans in anticipation? The urban regeneration fund is multi-annual, as are others such as the town and village renewal scheme etc. Is there funding for local authorities to have a pipeline of projects shovel ready?