Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

That is essentially what the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael McGrath, said to me last week. It seems to me that the only thing standing in the way of including Drogheda in the living city scheme is politics. We meet the criteria for the scheme, which the Minister of State set out. We manifest levels of vacancy and dereliction and higher than average levels of unemployment and deprivation. All of the buildings that need help in places like Narrow West Street, Laurence Street, and where the Minister of State's mother was educated on Duke Street, were built prior to 1915. We need a political decision to be made. We know that the total outlay on the scheme is very small. I have read the tax strategy group's papers and the recommendations it made on the future of the scheme. This is not about reinstituting the old urban regeneration scheme and the wastefulness it involved; this is a very targeted scheme in historic areas that require regeneration. It is not like the old wasteful scheme. Looking at the figures earlier today, it is inexpensive as well. For example, in 2018 only €500,000 was shelled out to support the scheme. The independent consultants, Indecon, said in a report a number of years ago that it is very effective in terms of conservation as well. Developers who own sites in the areas I have referenced, with whom we deal all of the time, say the introduction of this scheme could make the difference between them doing something with a derelict property, or not. This is the answer. This could be truly transformational for the centre of Drogheda.

Nobody has explained to me why Kilkenny was included in the scheme. It is a town which is actually not an administrative city from a legal point of view, but Drogheda has been excluded. It always looked like a stroke to me and that will remain the case until somebody explains otherwise. We have a very important public realm scheme, the Westgate Vision, which was pioneered by my colleague, Councillor Pio Smith, and the officials of Louth County Council. It is before An Bord Pleanála at the moment. When that is approved, hopefully in June, it will require significant millions in funding through the URDF from the Government to make it happen.

The Minister of State has a chance here to change the narrative with Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in terms of Drogheda and work to introduce this scheme which can truly be transformational and address the dereliction and vacancy we have, unfortunately, experienced in Drogheda town centre.

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