Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

50. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the way the town centre first policy will support towns such as Bailieborough and Carrickmacross, County Monaghan to regenerate vacant and derelict buildings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8600/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Government recently published Town Centre First - A Policy Approach for Irish Towns.  This publication represents a major new policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. 

The policy contains 33 actions which will give our towns the tools and resources they need to become more viable and attractive places in which to live, work, socialise and run a business.  It will support Town Teams to develop their own Town Centre First Plans to chart the future direction of their towns and to address issues of vacancy and dereliction. Some 26 towns have already been allocated funding of €1000,000 to produce their Town Centre First Plans, including Carrickmacross in Monaghan. Additional towns will be supported to develop plans as the policy is rolled out.

The implementation of the actions in these plans will be underpinned by significant levels of public investment spread across major Government schemes such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), the Croí Conaithe (Towns) Fund and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. This will include funding through these schemes to address the regeneration of vacant and derelict buildings as identified in the Town Centre First plans. 

The policy includes a range of other actions to embed the Town Centre First process nationally and support towns such as those referred to by the Deputy. This includes funding for new Town Regeneration Officers who will support Town Teams and local stakeholders to implement Town Centre First and tackle vacancy and dereliction challenges. 

The  local Town Team drawn from local community and business representatives will work with local stakeholders to progress drafting of the plans and to identify challenges, actions and integrated responses across a number of themes (business/commercial; community/cultural; housing; built environment; heritage). A key area of focus will be on vacant and derelict buildings.