Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I am here on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Heather Humphreys. I am glad the Senator supports the revitalisation of towns and villages and helping people to work from home. It is Government policy to do that. We agreed it last summer. The Senator is raising the practicalities of the short time permitted for the submission of applications, the great amount of detail required, including quotations, and the need to complete the works quickly. Those aspects provided practical problems. I can see that and I will relay the Senator's observations to the Minister.

The streetscape enhancement measure fulfils a commitment in Our Rural Future to provide funding to support the upgrading and enhancement of shopfronts and street facades in rural towns and villages. Many actions and commitments across all of Government are contained in Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025 and those aim to make rural Ireland a more attractive place to live and work. The streetscape enhancement measure was introduced this year by the Minister. It is designed to make around 120 rural towns and villages more vibrant and welcoming places for locals and visitors alike. Property owners across the country are being part funded to undertake a range of eligible projects. The types of projects eligible include the commissioning of murals; the painting of buildings and shopfronts in vibrant colours; the upgrading or restoration of historic shopfronts; the provision of street planting, shrubbery, trees, flower boxes and the installation of street canopies and street furniture; and the decluttering of streetscapes through the removal of unnecessary signs or wires. The wide range of possible projects that could be funded was designed to ensure that the available funding would have the widest possible impact across our rural towns and villages. Measures are being delivered by the local authorities on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development, with considerable discretion being provided to each local authority to design the scheme to meet the needs of their area.

Given the concerns raised by some property owners regarding the timelines for delivering these projects, the Minister recently announced an extension of the original deadline for the completion of works until the end of the year. I understand that the local authorities were consulted regarding this extension and that they were informed of this change at the end of last week. I am confident that this extension will alleviate much of the pressure on property owners and facilitate the full delivery of the works planned under the measure. In addition to this extended deadline, I understand that local authorities were also provided with further flexibility regarding how they manage the scheme locally and in respect of subsequent reports on the outcomes to the Department of Rural and Community Development next year.

We have all seen the huge success of those towns around the country that have invested in recent years in improving their streetscapes by painting buildings in vibrant colours, upgrading and restoring traditional shopfronts and removing unnecessary clutter from the main streets. The funding available under this measure will help to replicate this kind of success in rural towns and villages across Ireland. It provides a real opportunity for local authorities, businesses and property owners to work together in adding colour and vibrancy to our rural towns and villages. There has been a very positive response to this new initiative and I have no doubt that this funding will impact greatly on the appearance of our towns and villages. I understand also that a decision regarding a further round of funding in this regard will be considered alongside other town and village investment priorities next year and will also draw on the experience derived from this year's scheme.

I look forward to seeing the impact of this year's initiative on our towns and villages in the coming months and I am confident that this will be a highly visible example of how Our Rural Future is delivering real benefits for rural Ireland.