Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Town Centre First Policy is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. It supports the Our Rural Future vision for a thriving rural Ireland which is integral to our national economic, social, cultural and environmental wellbeing and development. Central to the Town Centre First approach is the range of support funding in place, including my department’s Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), and Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS).

The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) provides investment to develop and deliver large scale capital projects in towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000, and outlying areas.

Calls for applications to the Fund are sought under two categories – Category 1 and Category 2. Category 1 relates to large scale ambitious capital projects with all necessary planning and other consents in place, and which are ready to proceed to construction. Category 2 provides smaller grant funding to enable the development of project proposals suitable for future calls for Category 1 applications.

The RRDF is open for applications from State funded bodies including local authorities, Local Development Companies, government departments and State agencies.

To date, 215 projects have been approved for RRDF funding of €415 million for projects costing €571 million.

I announced the fifth RRDF Category 1 call for applications last November, with a focus on revitalising our rural towns and villages through planned and sustainable regeneration that will drive greater economic activity and footfall, address vacancy and dereliction and ensure the re-use of heritage and other existing buildings. The call closed on the 8th February 2024. My Department received 60 applications to this call, seeking funding of over €334 million. Applications are currently being assessed by my Department.

The TVRS was introduced in 2016 and is one of several measures within the Department designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. Since the launch of TVRS, over €156 million has been allocated to more than 1,700 projects across Ireland and has supported towns and villages the length and breadth of the country. I expect to announce successful projects from the 2023 call for applications in the coming weeks.

The type of investment referred to may also be eligible under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), which is administered by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It aims to deliver more compact and sustainable development, by part-funding regeneration and rejuvenation projects in Ireland’s five cities and other large towns.