Ivana Bacik (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, to the House and thank her for debating this motion on behalf of the Government. It involves a number of different areas of responsibility and, as the Minister said, local authorities bear some of the responsibility for some of the measures being proposed. I commend my colleagues, Senators Landy and Whelan, on proposing this motion and I apologise for being unable to stay in the House for all of the debate.

This is a very important motion. The issue of urban renewal is close to my heart given that I live in Dublin's south inner city. It is something that concerns all of us, whether we live in cities or small or large towns. There is a serious concern about the need for urban renewal. Other colleagues have spoken eloquently about the problems in city and town centres, including vacant properties and the closure of retail outlets. The motion seeks to be constructive. It refers to some of the positive initiatives that have been taken and asks the Department to support those in any way it can. I am conscious that other authorities and Departments bear some responsibility. Obviously, tax incentives are a matter for the Department of Finance.

To speak constructively on some of the matters that have been proposed, Senator Landy calls for a national task force. The Minister is supportive of that idea. She is correct to point out that there is a need for a cross-sectoral approach to examining something as broad as urban renewal.

An integrated cross-sectoral approach is required, in combination with proactive action by the retail sector and individual businesses. It is important to note the initiatives being taken. The motion mentions business improvement districts and the purple flag initiative - which we spoke about during a prior motion in this House on the subject - whereby town and city centre districts get together to seek the equivalent of a blue flag for beaches to show their district is a safe one, where people can feel safe at night, safe entertainment is offered, crime prevention initiatives are in place and people are being attracted there.

In Dublin and around the country there have been initiatives such as the open house event started by the Architecture Foundation, a private body. This has been embraced and has spread to other cities. There was a very successful hosting last weekend. I went to some of the events and have supported it every year. It has been a marvellous way of bringing families into city and town centres. Similarly, culture night, another really successful initiative, is one we might seek to expand beyond a single night a year. Many European cities have a "white night" once a month when museums and art galleries stay open late into the evening, the idea being to bring families into the city and town centres, which offers a boost for cafes, bars and all sorts of outlets apart from the cultural. This also opens up city and town spaces, making them more safe. From the criminological view point, such action has a hugely beneficial impact on crime reduction rates in urban centres.

The issue of pop-up shops and outlets was raised in the motion. Perhaps we should have included restaurants and cafes. A recent very good example of collaboration between Dublin City Council and a private group was the pop-up Granby Park on Dominic Street, a brilliant initiative which transformed a vast empty space that had been derelict and was a magnet for anti-social behaviour. Through the voluntary work of a group of people in collaboration with Dublin City Council, it was transformed into a great space where lots of people visited, there were music events, speeches, political debates and so on. Any such initiatives deserve support at any level from both local and national government.

I was delighted to hear mention of the living-over-the-shop scheme and usage of buildings that have no further commercial use for other purposes. Other colleagues will have knowledge of other councils. Dublin City Council has been very good at doing this although perhaps it should be a little more proactive in encouraging people to live in the city centre. The living-over-the-shop scheme was heralded, rightly, as being a very important and positive scheme but it is quite hard to get information on it and it does not seem to have been rolled out as it should have been at this stage. There is a need for a more proactive approach to the use of vacant sites and their development, in particular into residential spaces that allow people to move into the city centre and make it more vibrant. Some streets in Dublin city centre where this has been working well include Capel Street and Francis Street which offer good examples of where living over the shop has worked and has made the streets into safer and more attractive spaces. We need to see that scheme spreading to town centres throughout the country, making it more attractive for people to live in the centres.

I commend my colleagues for introducing this motion. It is an important initiative on the part of the Labour Party Seanad group. An important part of our work is to try to bring forward opportunities for people to debate ideas of urban renewal, support for SMEs and businesses that are facing difficulties in the current economic climate. We are trying to ensure that the ideas put forward in the Seanad will be heard. I thank the Minister of State for attending and listening to what we have to say about bringing those ideas to Government.