Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The town and village renewal scheme is part of a range of measures to support the revitalisation of rural areas. The programme is funded under Project Ireland 2040 as part of Our Rural Future. The scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the local authorities. Since the introduction of the scheme in 2016, more than €113 million has been approved for more than 1,400 projects throughout the country.

In February this year, I announced almost €18.5 million for projects under the 2021 scheme which will benefit towns and villages throughout the country. I can confirm that one application was submitted by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for assessment under the 2021 scheme. However, it was not successful in receiving approval for funding.

I launched the 2022 town and village renewal scheme last Friday, 27 May. As was the case last year, there will be a strong emphasis on projects that tackle vacancy and dereliction by bringing landmark town centre buildings back to life for use as multipurpose community spaces or as remote working spaces. It will also support the development of parks, green spaces and recreational amenities in town centres and support marketing campaigns targeted at attracting remote workers and mobile talent to a particular county or region.

This year I have also introduced a new building acquisition measure that will fund the purchase of vacant or derelict buildings for use as community facilities. This will provide up to €400,000 to each local authority to purchase vacant and derelict buildings for future development as community assets. I know this will make another significant contribution to revitalising our towns.

See this speech in context