Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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756. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the progress made in conserving, designing, tendering and carrying out further works on the national monument on 14-17 Moore Street, Dublin 1 in order for it to be open to the public as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19593/21]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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757. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the details of the works approved recently under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund for the Moore Street area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19594/21]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 756 and 757 together.

The Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) was launched in 2018 to support more compact and sustainable development. The URDF is one of four funds established under the National Development Plan 2018-2027 and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has responsibility for its implementation.

The Fund is providing part-funding for applicant-led projects that will enable a greater proportion of residential and mixed-use development to be delivered within the existing built-up footprints of our cities and large towns, while also ensuring that more parts of our urban areas can become attractive and vibrant places in which people choose to live and work, as well as to invest and to visit.

The URDF, as a key activator of the National Planning Framework (NPF) and Project Ireland 2040, is supporting a programme of significant transformational capital projects that will contribute to the regeneration and rejuvenation of Ireland’s five cities and other large towns, in line with the objectives of the NPF and PI2040.

All applications for URDF support are assessed in terms of their alignment with the intended purpose of the URDF programme and also their viability before being considered for approval.

Under Call 2 of the URDF, the recently announced global provisional funding of €121.3m for Dublin City Council's multi-element project, the North Inner City Concept Area 1, includes €12.17m funding towards the 14-17 Moore Street element of the Moore St. regeneration sub-project.

As set out in the press release available on my Department's website at the link that follows, the project will revitalise the North Inner City - .

The funding for the Moore Street national monument will go towards structural and restoration works on the four houses, which will facilitate the opening up of the buildings and the creation of the 1916 Commemorative Centre. The funding will also help with the development of a new museum building to the rear of the historic buildings, providing visitor facilities and exhibitions relating to the rebellion and the military actions in the adjoining laneways and the houses and also the social history of the area.

Funding will allow for the completion of the conservation of the National Monument buildings, and to provide new onsite visitor facilities, allowing for the restoration of the National Monument itself and to open it to the public so that it resonates the mercantile, social and political history of the area.

The creation of a heritage and commemorative centre at 14-17 Moore Street will tie in with the GPO and act as an iconic attraction that is expected to become a central component on the increasingly popular history trail within the city. It is expected that this will have a transformative impact on Moore Street.

In the coming weeks, my Department will issue a formal approval in principle letter in respect of this successful proposal to Dublin City Council, which will set out the arrangements and conditions attached to URDF support, and which will also provide a breakdown of the global provisional allocation by sub-project.

While my Department works closely with the successful applicants in respect of project funding, responsibility for the advancement of URDF supported projects through the various stages of planning, development and completion is, in the first instance, a matter for the Sponsoring Agency, in this case Dublin City Council.

In this regard, it should be noted that all URDF supported projects must be carefully developed and managed by the Sponsoring Agency in accordance with the normal conditions and arrangements that apply to public sector managed projects including, exercising appropriate cost control and delivering projects as approved, and in full compliance with the Public Spending Code.