Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Town Centre First is yet another tool with which the Government can tackle the housing crisis. It aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into town centres. People have reconnected with their communities throughout the pandemic, underlining the importance of high-quality public streets, parks and other amenities in towns that provide space for communities to socialise and recreate. Local authorities have been provided with a number of powers and measures to deal with the issue of derelict properties, in both larger urban areas and smaller rural towns and villages.

Town Centre First contains 33 unique recommendations and actions that will give 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. The policy is underpinned by a multimillion euro investment spread across major Government schemes such as the RRDF, the URDF, the Croí Cónaithe towns fund and the town and village renewal scheme. In particular, I welcome that for the first time, designated towns will get their own dedicated town regeneration officer, who will be crucial in driving the development of the town.

As part of the initiative, each local authority will be provided with €100,000 to support the development of a unique vision for the town, which will also outline specific interventions required to deliver this vision. Each local authority has been provided with guidance as regards the contents of the plans, which aligns with the details outlined in Town Centre First. The Town Centre First plans should be developed collaboratively with local town teams involving community and business, as well as public and private stakeholders. The involvement of various stakeholders is welcome, each bringing different skills and local knowledge to the table. This plan will have to be completed within 18 months.

The URDF has approved €410 million in funding for projects in towns. These projects will be completed over the next few years and will make a fundamental difference to the localities receiving that investment. A funding call for new projects to local authorities will be made in summer 2022 and will be aimed specifically at Town Centre First as one of its key objectives.

Of course, this is not the only measure the Government is taking. Housing for All’s forthcoming Croí Cónaithe fund will be aimed at servicing sites for new homes in regional towns and villages and supporting the refurbishment of vacant houses. Public infrastructure agencies such as Irish Water and local communities will work to provide serviced sites for housing. This will help attract people to build their own homes and live in small towns and villages.

In my own constituency of Dublin North-West, and in particular in the villages of Finglas and Glasnevin, the level of dereliction and vacancy is quite high. Policies such as these will make a difference to places like Finglas and Glasnevin, making them vibrant and busy locations once again. I welcome the announcement of the pilot towns in December and look forward to additional towns coming under this policy in future years.

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