Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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327. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the anticipated timeline for drawdown in respect of recently allocated urban regeneration and development fund funding for Tralee and Killarney, County Kerry; if further funding calls under the fund will issue soon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23250/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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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 (PI2040), 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, a total of €32,005,146 has been provisionally allocated for Kerry County Council's successful Call 2 projects; Destination Killarney was allocated €16,068,429 while Positioning Tralee as a Regional Economic Driver & Destination Town was allocated €15,936,717.

In the coming weeks, my Department will issue a formal approval in principle letter in respect of these successful proposals to Kerry County Council, which will set out the arrangements and conditions attached to URDF support.

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 Kerry County 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.