Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On 23 January , the Government's action plan for rural development, Realising our Rural Potential, was launched in Ballymahon, County Longford. The plan is a whole-of-Government initiative and contains over 270 actions across five thematic pillars, to be delivered by Government Departments, State agencies and other groups. The action plan contains a number of measures which have the objective of rejuvenating Ireland’s rural towns and villages to make them more attractive places in which to live and work and to increase their tourism potential.

As part of budget 2017, I have secured funding of €12 million for an enhanced town and village renewal scheme this year. This represents a tripling of the original 2016 baseline allocation of €4 million for the scheme. The town and village renewal scheme for 2017 will be launched shortly and towns and villages to be included in the scheme will be selected through an application and assessment process.  The scheme will be funded by the Department and administered by local authorities.

As part of the scheme, I intend to launch a pilot project later in the year to encourage residential occupancy in rural towns and villages. This pilot will be launched in the second half of the year, when details of the scheme have been finalised in consultation with relevant Departments. The pilot will examine ways in which properties that are currently not in use in town centres can be renovated to allow them to be used for residential purposes. In 2016, financial support was also provided by my Department through a number of structured schemes for the conservation and protection of heritage buildings, including the built heritage investment scheme, the structures at risk fund and other initiatives operated by the Heritage Council and the OPW.

The Government’s action plan for housing and homelessness, which comes under the remit of the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, also includes a number of schemes which support the repair or refurbishment of properties.

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