Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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85. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the measures that will be in place in 2022 supported by schemes operated by her Department or through statutory agencies to assist persons bring vacant dwellings back to habitable use as living accommodation in villages, towns and rural areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60199/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The revitalisation of vacant and derelict properties is being addressed by a number of initiatives delivered by my Department in line with the commitments contained in Our Rural Future and by colleagues across Government as part of the Government's Housing for All.

The new Croí Cónaithe (Towns) fund, as outlined in Housing for All, will provide a grant to support the refurbishment of vacant properties where the level of vacancy or dereliction is high. I understand that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, together with the Housing Agency, is currently developing an operational basis for this new fund.

In April, I announced investment of €81 million for 25 landmark projects under Category 1 of the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund. These projects will combat dereliction, increase the vibrancy of rural towns and villages, and regenerate town centre buildings. A further call for proposals under Category 1 projects is expected shortly.

I have also announced funding of €15 million that is available under the 2021 Town & Village Renewal Scheme. A key focus of this year’s scheme is to renovate derelict and vacant buildings in our town centres, including for residential living. I have increased the maximum grant available under the Scheme to €500,000 to permit projects of additional scale to be funded. I expect to announce the successful projects under the 2021 scheme shortly, while the 2022 scheme will see an increase in funding of €2 million.

There are a range of other initiatives outlined in Our Rural Future which will contribute to addressing vacancy in our towns and villages, including the development of a Town Centre First Approach, with a focus on vacancy and dereliction.

The new Town Centre First Policy will be an important catalyst for Local Authorities and local stakeholders to plan for the revitalisation of their towns, and particularly to explore new and alternative uses for vacant and derelict properties in town centres. This policy will be launched shortly and its implementation will be a key priority for my Department next year.