Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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267. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the assessment of the regeneration funding that has been conducted in respect of recent projects nationally; if the outcomes have led to an increase to housing stock and commercial activity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23901/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Regeneration projects being funded by my Department target the country’s most disadvantaged communities, including those defined by social exclusion, unemployment and anti-social behaviour. My Department currently supports a programme of large-scale regeneration projects in Dublin, Cork and Limerick and smaller projects in Tralee, Sligo and Dundalk. The 2016 allocation for existing commitments on regeneration projects is €50 million.

A regeneration project by its nature is complex, taking time to develop. It moves through a number of phases including the initial master-planning stage, demolition works, enabling works, refurbishment and/or consolidation works and construction. Therefore it can take some time before the impact of that work becomes visible such as the delivery of improved homes and living conditions, and improvements in the quality of life in the regenerated area. In Ballymun, for example, some 2,000 social housing units were provided over the years of that project through a mixture of construction, acquisitions and refurbishment of void/derelict units.

The regeneration project at Limerick has been in operation for over eight years, with a cumulative investment to date of some €258 million. 2016 will see significant building works, including the major advancement of a contract for 82 new social housing units. The regeneration project at Cork City will see work advanced on a further 23 new homes commenced in 2016. Regeneration works consisting of major refurbishment and renewal in Dundalk and Sligo are ongoing, while Tralee regeneration is largely complete. In the Dublin City area, two new large regeneration projects, Dolphin House and St. Teresa’s Gardens, are expected to move onto the construction of new units in 2016.

While regeneration funding provided by my Department is primarily focused on the physical build programme, funding is also provided for social regeneration activities that help to maintain and develop communities during the physical regeneration process. The wider impacts of regeneration works, such as increased commercial activity within a regenerated area, can be influenced by a range of factors beyond the remit of a regeneration project, such as prevailing economic conditions, investment by businesses in the area, the local authority development plan and the relevant local authority’s local economic and community plan. Many of the regeneration projects have their own Regeneration Boards, made up of relevant stakeholders, including residents representatives, local authority representatives and State agencies. Through the shared expertise and multi-agency representation on these boards, they bring a focus to the broader elements of regeneration, including economic and social dimensions, and seek to develop a whole of community approach to the programme.

Limerick as the largest ongoing regeneration project, is monitored on an annual basis. One year on from the formal adoption of the Limerick Regeneration Framework Implementation Plan, a Monitoring Report has been prepared on the activities relating to Housing and the Physical Environment for the period 2014-2015 and is available at:

A monitoring report for the period 2015-2016 is currently being finalised. ​

Limerick City and County Council have also finalised a separate Monitoring Report for the Social Intervention Fund 2012-2014 under the Limerick Regeneration Framework Implementation Plan and, I understand, will have it available for public viewing in September 2016.

My Department’s Regeneration Programme is a priority from a social policy perspective, encompassing social housing improvements as well as social/community and economic renewal of communities. It reflects the Government’s commitment to an urban regeneration programme that empowers people to work together to improve their communities and the quality of life for all who live within them.