Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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500. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the establishment of the task force for Tipperary town following the appointment of an independent chairperson in March 2019; the State agencies appointed to the taskforce; and the budget allocated to same. [22768/19]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Supporting the development and growth of towns and villages across Ireland is a major priority for this Government and to this end policy interventions are being pursued across a number of Government Departments and are being implemented by local authorities around the country. In particular, €2 billion is available under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, with a further €1 billion available under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.

In relation to Tipperary Town, I met with local stakeholders on 24 January 2019. Following on from that meeting:

- an independent expert has been appointed to assist and advise Tipperary Town Centre Forum on the development and regeneration of Tipperary Town,

- a Director of Services has been assigned by Tipperary County Council to assist the process and to work closely with the Town Centre Forum towards the delivery of a 3-year Action Plan,

- a planning consultant is being appointed to support the process in preparing an Action Plan for the Town,

- Queens University Belfast has agreed to carry out a consultation exercise in the Town that will afford an opportunity to all stakeholders to participate, with a public engagement set for June, and,

- a Project Manager is to be recruited for a three-year period reporting to the Town Centre Forum and responsible for the day-to-day delivery of the Action Plan.

The work of the Town Centre Forum over the three year period will focus on preparing projects for submission under the various funding programmes that have been put in place by the Government.

My Department continues to engage with Tipperary County Council to provide advices and support in relation to its work on the development and regeneration of its towns, including Tipperary Town.