Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 148: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the measures outlined in the National Development Plan that will address the protection of the environment and the preservation of village and urban streetscapes and traditional architecture here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5955/07]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Investment under the National Development Plan (NDP) will make a major contribution to the enhancement and sustainability of our environment by requiring that environmental considerations be central to the implementation of sectoral policies over the period of the Plan. There will also be direct investment of some €25 billion under the following NDP sub-programmes which will directly benefit environmental sustainability:

Public Transport Sub-Programme €13 billion;

Water Services Sub-Programme €4.7 billion;

Waste Management Sub-Programme €753 million;

Climate Change Sub-Programme €270 million;

Sustainable Energy Sub-Programme €276m (which includes development of wind energy capacity and alternative energy sources such as bio-mass and bio-fuels, ocean energy and solar and geothermal technologies);

Agriculture and Food Sub-Programme €6 billion (which includes afforestation, agri-environment, compensatory allowance and farm waste management measures);

Natural Heritage Sub-Programme €167 million (which will fund purchase of Natura 2000 sites and acquisition of habitat-rich sites and designated raised bogs);

Built Heritage Sub-Programme €373 million;

Coastal Protection Sub-Programme €23 million; and

Environmental Research €93 million.

The NDP recognises that the public realm is a key element of the overall urban fabric and an important contributor to visual amenity, safety and a sense of place. The Community Infrastructure Sub-Programme provides for investment of some €895m under the NDP, including investment in urban and village renewal. Funding for urban renewal initiatives will be targeted at projects encompassing and demonstrating good urban design, innovation, appropriate scale and cost effectiveness.

€373m will be invested in a range of measures to support architectural and archaeological heritage protection under the NDP's Built Heritage Sub-Programme which will include:

work on major heritage properties undertaken by the OPW on behalf of my Department;

the Heritage Council in respect of the capital grants scheme operated by the Council for heritage buildings at risk;

the scheme of grants administered by the local authorities for works to properties on their Records of Protected Structures;

the Irish Heritage Trust.

The Sub-Programme will also fund expenditure by my Department on the continuing roll out of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage and the scheme of grants administered directly by the Department for the restoration and conservation of buildings of significant architectural heritage merit which are in public ownership or open to the public generally.