Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted the Deputy acknowledges the importance of the rural and urban regeneration schemes. They are very important, together with the town and village renewal scheme. Another example of urban renewal scheme is in Clare's second largest town, namely Shannon. Clare County Council applied, somewhat hastily, for funding under the urban regeneration scheme to put a heart into Shannon. As the Deputy knows, it is a new town and does not have a streetscape like other Irish towns. There is just a shopping centre in the centre of the town. The Deputy focused on town centres. It is really important to have a heart and life in the centre so people can live in town centres and in the areas outside that as well. Clare County Council did not get the funding for which it applied as the project did not live up to what the urban regeneration scheme should be as it was for a theatre. However, we received €100,000 for the project. Since then Clare County Council has met the senior development planners in the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, they are developing a plan and are consulting with the locals to focus on the economic prosperity and assets of the region.

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