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

I thank Deputy Gould for raising this matter.

Community centres are the cornerstone of community life in many towns, villages and urban areas across the country, and this Government recognises the important role they play in community life in Ireland, bringing people together and engaging with those who may be marginalised or disadvantaged. With that in mind, my Department has put in place an integrated programme of supports for the establishment and development of community centres across schemes such as CLÁR, LEADER, the community support fund, the town and village renewal scheme and the new community centres investment fund.

The 2022 community centres investment fund was warmly welcomed the length and breadth of the country. Over €45.5 million has been committed to the improvement and refurbishment of existing community centres across the country. These projects are ongoing and will be completed over the coming year.

Following on from that, I want to assist community groups striving to build their own community centres to service local needs, so this year the focus of the community centres investment fund has moved to new builds. This focus will help specifically those towns and villages that have no community centre whatsoever.

In March I was delighted to announce a €20 million fund to support communities with "shovel-ready" projects on greenfield or brownfield sites to build new community centres. This measure will target areas which do not have an appropriate facility to meet the needs of their area. The minimum grant funding available is €1 million, with the maximum being €6 million. The deadline for receipt of applications is 3 July 2023 and I encourage communities that have eligible projects with planning permission to submit an application under the fund.

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