Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The one-stop shop idea is a good one. Separately this year, through the Heritage Council, we are funding the roll-out of architectural conservation officers in counties that do not have them. That is hugely important because these staff play a vital role in animating many of these properties back into use.

The living city initiative, which focused on issues with accessibility, was a significant learning experience. Many premises with a shop at ground-floor level do not have a separate door into the upstairs or residential part of the building. Looking at those opportunities on a town-by-town basis and given the resources being put into local authorities, particularly vacancy officers, there is an opportunity to try to work with premises owners or people who are considering buying a premises, so they can bring them into full occupancy. As the Senator said, retail is changing dramatically, to the point where retail centres are moving out to the periphery. We should look at that full approach.

A fantastic piece of work was done by Alison Harvey who led the collaborative town centre health checks. It got all the data people were looking for in the participating towns, including Sligo, Dundalk, Tipperary town and other places. It provided data on vacancy rates both in retail and above-shop premises. We need that data. I agree with Senator Garvey and I will take back to the Department her call for a much more integrated approach to support people buying properties and encourage local authorities to be leaders in this by buying premises in town centres that they can reuse for social housing.