Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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411. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the progress that has been made to date regarding URDF in Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24338/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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In line with the objectives of the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan, the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is currently providing part-funding to applicant-led projects, enabling more compact and sustainable development within the existing built-up footprints of our cities and large towns.

To this end, the URDF has already provisionally allocated in excess of €1.6 billion under two separate calls for proposals since its inception in 2018. Providing assistance to 132 proposals, comprising of almost 400 subprojects, URDF projects are now active in every local authority area in the country.

In 2021, following a second call for proposals under the URDF, I provisionally allocated €15,611,051 in URDF support for Carlow County Council’s Public Realm and Pedestrian Linkage Project in Carlow Town. This followed Carlow County Council’s successful application under the URDF’s first call for proposals in 2018, when €580,000 in URDF support was provided towards developing a master plan for Carlow Town.

In December 2022, following a request from Carlow County Council, my Department issued approval to deliver the ‘Public Realm and Pedestrian Linkage Project for Carlow Town’ as two separate subprojects. The Railway Link through Carlow College project and the Town Centre Regeneration Project, which includes works to Tullow Street, Potato Market, Barrack Street and Kennedy Avenue, are currently undergoing detailed design works, with a view to informing a comprehensive submission to the Department for pre-tender approval (Decision Gate 2 under the Public Spending Code).

It should be noted that while my Department works closely and communicates regularly with Carlow County Council in respect of project funding, responsibility for the advancement of their URDF supported projects through the various stages of planning, development and completion is, in the first instance, a matter for Carlow County Council. Accordingly, detailed queries regarding the projects should be directed to the Council.