Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to come before the House to discuss the recently published Town Centre First policy. We all have particular towns that are close to our hearts, places we wish to see grow and thrive.

Unfortunately, many of our towns are in need of attention and action to improve their appearance and attraction. The aim of the town centre first policy is to address the problems of our towns and to provide a route to their regeneration. This policy, launched on 4 February in Moate, represents an important step in supporting the future development and regeneration of towns across our country. It is a key element of the programme for Government and it recognises the importance of towns as a focus for enabling the social, economic and environmental development of our communities.

The development of a town centre first policy is also a key measure under the Government our rural future policy. The town centre first policy was jointly developed by Departments of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Rural and Community Development and was also informed by the work of a town centre first interdepartmental group established in November 2020 to consider the regeneration of towns and villages nationally. A town centre first advisory group was also established, which I chaired, to bring in a broader group of stakeholders to inform the new policy. The town centre first policy contains 33 unique actions, which collectively will create the necessary framework to support our towns the tools and resources they need to become more viable and attractive places in which to live, work, visit and run a business. While the time allotted for this debate does not permit me to discuss all of these actions in detail, I will give an overview of the key elements of the town centre first approach.

The town centre first policy recognises that a solely top-down approach to the development of our towns is not appropriate to the challenge that we face. Instead, the policy sets out an innovative approach, where local communities and local businesses can be central to re-imagining their own towns and planning their own futures. Every town is different and, therefore, the policy acknowledges that there is no one-size-fits-all approach that will work. By recognising and supporting this diversity, the policy can deliver the outcomes we all want, tailored to the unique and individual needs of our towns. The town centre first policy is focused, therefore, on supporting the town team of the local community in taking action to develop and regenerate their town. The town teams are drawn from local residents, business people, community representatives and others, all united by a shared will to improve the place in which they live and work for the benefit of residents and visitors alike. The town team has a unique position in the community as the local experts on their area and will be empowered and supported to take a lead on the development of interventions that can make positive long-term changes for their town.

The town centre first policy tasks the town team with preparing a town centre first plan. These are non-statutory plans that will identify challenges, actions and integrated responses across a number of themes, including business-commercial, community-cultural, housing, built environment and heritage. The development of high-quality town centre first plans will serve to maximise the impact of investment from a range of funding streams available for town regeneration across a number of Departments and agencies, including the flagship urban regeneration and development fund, URDF, and the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, which are already investing more than €600 million in regeneration projects in towns throughout the country. In December 2021, €2.6 million was provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development to deliver town centre first plans in 26 towns. This first phase of funding will support each local authority, working with a town team, to develop a bespoke plan to guide the development of a town and to develop learnings and best practices to assist other towns to develop plans in future. Further towns will be selected for town centre first plan funding in future as the town centre first policy is rolled out.

There will also be a third call for project proposals under the URDF fund in the second half of 2022. This will include invitations to projects specifically focused on the implementation of the town centre first policy. In addition, the Department of Rural and Community Development launched a fourth call for category 1 projects through the RRDF last December. This call placed an emphasis on town centre first policies, which include driving economic growth, combatting dereliction and breathing new life into town centres. The town and village renewal scheme, also under the remit of the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, now funds large-scale projects of up to €500,000 to support the town centre first policy and focuses on vacancy, dereliction and town centre renewal. A 2022 scheme will be launched in the coming months.

The town centre first policy recognises the critical role the local government sector will have in co-ordinating and driving the town centre first agenda locally and in accessing the funding streams that will enable development initiatives to be realised and in connecting locally based projects with national funding programmes. Local authorities are well positioned to work with their local communities in formulating specific actions at a local level through the town centre first plan process in order that proposals are firmly based on local knowledge in combination with technical support and concrete measures, including access to funding to successfully drive the implementation of the town centre first policy. To support this work, local authorities with towns will be provided with a dedicated post to lead town centre first implementation at a local level, including supporting local town teams. Funding of €2 million has been provided for town regeneration officer roles.

The town centre first policy recognises that many towns are successfully undertaking regeneration actions and initiatives. They have already organised locally to progress local development projects and programmes to improve the town's environment and economy. The town centre first policy appreciates the significant benefits that can be gained by communities and their towns learning from each other and sharing experience, particularly towns that have similar characteristics and contexts and which inevitably face common challenges. There is great value in exchanging and developing best practice approaches to the many aspects of town regeneration, helping all to progress and develop, hearing from those who have made mistakes and learning from them.

One of the key actions of the policy is the establishment of a town centre first national office to drive and co-ordinate the implementation of the policy across the country. A key responsibility of this office will be to lead on and develop best practice guidance and facilitate the town regeneration officers and town teams to follow exemplary practice. This guidance will form part of a national town centre first toolkit. The toolkit will inform local approaches to town regeneration and will encompass specific strands targeting key factors such as urban development, economic enterprise development, community engagement, digitalisation and climate action. The town centre first toolkit will build on work developed by the Heritage Council in collaboration with others in establishing and delivering the collaborative town centre health check programme for many of our heritage towns.

The national town centre first office will also support the work of the local authority town centre first officers through the establishment of a national town centre first officer network. This office will be co-funded by the Departments of Rural and Community Development and Housing, Local Government and Heritage and will be housed in the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA. Discussions between our Departments and the LGMA on its establishment are well advanced, with the first step being the imminent recruitment of a national director for town centre first.

To further ensure that effective best-practice drives the implementation of town centre first, a number of pathfinder or early-stage towns will be identified nationally to act as early priority demonstrators of the town centre first policy approach. These selected towns will be at different stages of the town centre first process, from background research and analysis, preparation of the town centre first plan and project development to plan implementation and delivery. Pathfinders will also be subject to a focused collaboration with funders and the relevant agencies involved. A central objective of town centre first is to assist those towns that in the past have not had sufficient capacity to shape their own development. The pathfinder towns will help to inform the approach to supporting towns that are at an early stage in the town centre first process. While the town centre first policy recognises the critical role that local authority and expertise will play in the successful delivery of our targeted outcomes. It is also clear that success will require governance and oversight structures.

To that end, town centre first will establish a national oversight and advisory group to set the agenda, prepare a high-level action plan and ultimately oversee the implementation of the overall programme. This group will include representation from local government, Departments, agencies and wider expert representation and will also link directly with town teams to provide a feedback loop on the progression of the overall programme.

The enabling framework I have outlined will be established through town centre first and will support the delivery of key outcomes across a wide range of policy areas. I will draw attention, in particular, to housing, local economic development and heritage-led regeneration, areas in which I feel town centre first has the potential to be particularly impactful. Through the town centre first policy, there is an opportunity to collaborate and continue the provision of much-needed new homes in the heart of our communities. Many local services people need homes that are available on their own doorsteps, close to their neighbours and within a short walking distance.

Considerable housing potential in towns is tied up in existing buildings and premises that may have fallen into disuse and disrepair. We are all aware of buildings around our towns that appear to be vacant and are falling into dereliction, contributing to a poor appearance and not reflecting local pride of place. Town centre first has a strong focus on measures to assist this type of underused building stock to come back into residential use and breathe new life into our towns, with additional people living in and around the town centre and the new footfall and opportunities that this creates. What are known as backland and brownfield sites are often underutilised and can be developed for quality housing to a high design standard. Nothing represents the health of a town better than people visible on its streets and public spaces, going about their daily business.

Through targeted programmes such as the Croí Cónaithe fund and others focusing on tackling vacancy and dereliction, new homes will be delivered in our towns, with a variety and choice of accommodation for a range of household types, whether families and individuals, all with different housing needs. There are many current examples where disused buildings have been successfully redeveloped as homes. The learning from these projects can, through the town centre first toolkit, help to scale these activities up and deliver on a more widespread basis to meet the strong desire of many people to live in our towns.

Successful towns are underpinned by a strong local economy and the creation of sustainable employment for the local community. Supporting businesses of all sizes, whether indigenous enterprise or foreign investment, can act as a real catalyst for town regeneration, strengthen the local economic activity and provide footfall within the town centre. We have seen over the past two years the value of our towns in their role in generating economic activity and enterprise. The attraction of our towns for people to visit and spend time in can be enhanced through the town centre first process, seeking to raise the quality of the town environment and its appeal as a place for businesses and investors.

The local economic and community plan, activities of the local enterprise office, LEO, and other local and national agencies can feed into the economic and employment aspects of the town centre first plan. Wider national Government supports for businesses, such as grant aid, mentoring, skill development and fostering innovation, can also be focused through town centre first at a town level.

Changing work and commuting patterns resulting from the pandemic are an ongoing opportunity to regenerate our towns. Many enterprise and connected working hubs are being created throughout the country, providing important workspace for local employment and also generating footfall by bringing people into the town for work purposes with consequent beneficial impacts on economic and social activity.

Local heritage is often what provides distinct character and interest in a town, built up over generations. The local community cherishes a church, historical site or local monument, taking great pride in the meaning and the connection it can often provide to the history of the town and events that have taken place there. Many towns are now realising the potential for their local heritage to be a central part of their town regeneration plan. Heritage can provide a strong sense of local identity and interest that can be an attraction for visitors and businesses alike. Towns such as Clonakilty, Westport and Kilkenny have shown the way in reaping the reward of such heritage-led regeneration through investing in their heritage, complemented by public realm improvements and cultural and social events to distinguish their town as a place of interest and activity. They have become destinations in which people want to spend time. The town centre first policy recognises the value and potential of local heritage and seeks to ensure it is a key element of the town centre first plan in enabling a town’s future development.

Tourism centred around the heritage and cultural attraction of a town can be an important driver in the local economy, supporting local businesses in the hospitality and entertainment sectors in particular, which, in turn, are of benefit to local residents. The town centre first policy provides an opportunity for enhanced measures to protect and preserve local heritage but also for it to be properly recognised and valued as a potential economic driver for the wider overall regeneration of the town.

I firmly believe that the town centre first policy, as it has been developed, recognises the dynamic and multifaceted nature of what makes Irish towns vibrant and enjoyable places to live. It also recognises that this very dynamism means that there can be no single one-size-fits-all solution to the challenge of town regeneration and, therefore, successful solutions must be drawn from the expertise and pride of place of the local communities. By developing a national framework, through the establishment of the national town centre first office and the national oversight and advisory group, town centre first can disseminate the lessons learned from successful grassroots projects, informed by experience, expert opinion and advice, to town teams across the country. The development of the town centre first officer role at the local authority level will serve as a vital lynchpin in the delivery of the wider town centre first policy, particularly by supporting town teams in the development and delivery of their town centre first plans. Town centre first will enable towns of many different types and scales across the country to prosper and develop, providing the proper supports and resources for all to benefit and for the result to be experienced by all the community.

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