Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy O'Rourke for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity to discuss the advancement of housing development in Celbridge, specifically with regard to vacant lands, which have been identified as an area of key and strategic development, and to discuss the attendant infrastructure measures that have to be implemented to deliver this housing supply. This housing supply has been identified as necessary by Kildare County Council and certainly from a national point of view it is needed and sustainable, so we would be supportive of the key infrastructure that is required to open up these lands.

The Celbridge local area plan, LAP, for 2017 to 2023 was adopted by the elected members in August 2017 and came into effect in September 2017. As Minister of State with responsibility for housing and urban development, I welcome the fact that the plan supports the provision of substantial housing development in a key urban area close to Dublin. Kildare County Council in its county development plan has earmarked Celbridge to grow in population by approximately 10,000 over the next five to ten years. We must plan for this and for the infrastructure that is required to make it happen. We must ensure that Celbridge has a heart and soul, which means we need more than just the sprawling housing developments surrounding weak town centres that are so symptomatic of many Irish commuter towns. We want Celbridge to be more than just a dormitory commuter town; we want the population of the town to be part of the community and the spirit of the town. That is what Deputy O'Rourke wants too, and Deputy Durkan made representations to us on this issue as well.

As part of the roll-out of the local area plan and in the interests of supporting the integrated development of housing within the LAP, Kildare County Council is committed to preparing a transport mobility management plan to support the sustainable growth of the town. State agencies, along with my Department and the National Transport Authority, NTA, will be active in their support of the development of such a plan, which will inform future infrastructure development. That includes the bridge. I will be happy for my Department to follow up with the Minister, Deputy Ross, on that because it is a key part of opening up the lands on which we need houses built. Irish Water is in the process of upgrading the Leixlip wastewater treatment plant, which serves Celbridge, and is actively working to address identified constraints in the local wastewater system, in particular the upgrading of the local pumping station. These measures will actively support the ongoing and future delivery of housing in Celbridge.

Furthermore, my Department recently opened a call for proposals under the new urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, which was launched as part of Project Ireland 2040. The fund is designed to support the compact growth and sustainable development of Ireland's five cities, regional drivers and other large urban centres such as Celbridge, and to leverage a greater proportion of residential and commercial development supported by infrastructure, services and amenities within the existing built-up areas of our larger urban settlements. My Department has responsibility for implementing the URDF, which has an allocation of €2 billion over the ten-year period of the national development plan to 2027, with €100 million available to get projects moving in a meaningful way in 2019. We call that the A list. Projects such as the bridge the Deputy mentioned could be fitted into that if it can be moved through the system. It is important that the next stage is taken on the bridge and I urge all involved to make that happen in order that it can fit into this funding over the next couple of years. The fund encompasses the local infrastructure fund, which is also an activation measure to provide the infrastructure that is key to opening up land. It would fit into that, but it must go through the different stages. For my part, I will follow up with the Minister, Deputy Ross, and I urge the local authority in Kildare to do likewise.

The application process for the new fund will run until September 2018. Proposals that have been identified by local authorities must demonstrate that they will be: innovative and transformational urban regeneration projects; public sector led and with the option of community or private sector partners or both; matched by at least 25% direct funding from other public or private sources or both; a minimum bid of €2 million; a catalyst for development that would not otherwise occur; or likely to leverage significant further public and private sector investment. I have visited Celbridge. I was there when we were making decisions on the plan and on the directions we had to issue, so I am familiar with the town. I walked on the bridge, stood on it and parked on the bridge because that is what one does - one parks on the bridge-----

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