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

I thank Deputy O'Loughlin for raising this issue. I am glad to have the opportunity to discuss the support available under the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, which is one of the funds that might be open to fund a scheme such as that to which she refers. I am conscious that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport just left but the Deputy might want to raise this issue with him too because it is important that it should be dealt with on a cross-departmental basis. A project such as this is not just for one Department. We have a fund which is suitable for projects of this nature and Kildare has already availed of the opportunity to make an application to that it.

The URDF is a flagship element of Project Ireland 2040, comprising an allocation of €2 billion in the National Development Plan 2018-2027, with €58 million available in 2019 and an overall Exchequer allocation of €550 million earmarked for the fund up to the end of 2022. The URDF was established to support more compact and sustainable development, through the regeneration and rejuvenation of Ireland's five cities and the many other large towns in line with the objectives of the national planning framework and the national development plan. This is about sustainable development, encouraging sustainable development of town centres and making them more pleasant places to live. Exactly as the Deputy described, Newbridge is probably similar to the town in which I live, Navan, with congestion at crossings and development over a number of years giving rise to pressure on existing crossings, meaning that infrastructure needs to be upgraded.

The work we are trying to fund through the URDF is to enable a greater proportion of residential and mixed use development to be delivered within the existing built-up footprints of our cities and towns and to ensure that more parts of our urban areas can become attractive and vibrant places in which people can choose to live, work, invest in and visit. If somewhere is a nice place to live in, one will be able to create more jobs with investment to service the needs of the people who are already living there. Many people in Kildare and Meath have to leave their homes and travel long distances to work. We are trying to encourage more jobs to be created beside them and to make the towns more attractive too.

Bids were invited from public bodies for further funding under the URDF and 189 applications were received by my Department under the first call for proposals. On 26 November 2018, the Minister, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, announced initial URDF support of €100 million for 88 projects around the country. The applications received contained a wide variety of themes and sectoral areas from urban regeneration and public realm works to enabling strategic infrastructure such as bridges to leverage further development, as well as cultural and amenity development. Applications received fall into two categories, namely, projects that are ready to go and funding to support the initial development of projects, including master planning and feasibility, to ensure a pipeline of projects for the future that may be funded by our Department or the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. As part of this first call, Kildare County Council submitted seven proposals and was awarded initial URDF support for four. Four of the proposals submitted by Kildare County Council related to a link road from Great Connell Road to Athgarvan Road in Newbridge. However, this proposal was not awarded URDF support as part of the first call.

The Deputy mentioned Celbridge. It was awarded funding. The proposal is progressing through part B, which is to develop feasibility and bring different stakeholders and players together. My Department is continuing to engage with successful applicants, in the case of Celbridge and others in Kildare, from the first call on the advancement of their proposals. Once that process is complete, my Department will complete its review of the first call, after which a second call for proposals will be announced later in the year. The Deputy asked if I brought good news with me. I certainly cannot say I brought the chequebook, so I will have to check on the position. There will be a second chance to apply for funding. Every applicant that did not succeed had engagement with our Department. The local authority in Kildare had engagement with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government about its application, where it went wrong and what it needs to do to make a new application. Kildare County Council can consider further projects and applications. That will be open for it in the near future.

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