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

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Town Centre First policy is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. It supports the Our Rural Future vision for a thriving rural Ireland, which is integral to our national economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being and development. A key aim of both this policy and the Our Rural Future policy is addressing vacancy and dereliction and ensuring that the policies and schemes in place directly address and tackle these issues in our rural towns and villages. This complements other national policies such as Housing for All and the national planning framework that also aim to tackle vacancy and support local communities.

Central to the town centre first approach is the range of support funding in place, including my Department’s rural regeneration and development fund and the town and village renewal scheme. Last November, I announced funding of €115 million for regeneration projects across rural towns under my Department's rural regeneration and development fund for 2022.

These projects include a focus on combating vacancy and dereliction by regenerating iconic town centre buildings such as old hotels, banks, schools and courthouses. Similarly, last December I announced €27 million in funding to combat dereliction and breathe new life into rural towns and villages under the 2022 town and village renewal scheme. I have approved funding of €5.4 million to support the first tranche of projects under the 2023 building acquisition measure. This funding will see some 23 vacant or derelict buildings purchased by local authorities and brought back into use as multipurpose community spaces. My Department remains committed to the success of the Town Centre First policy to deliver on the goal of revitalising rural towns and villages as set out in Our Rural Future.

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