David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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470. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the way her Department supports local authorities to purchase derelict buildings in order that they can be brought back into use for the benefit of the community; the funding, if any, that has been made available to purchase such properties in 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30768/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In 2022, I launched the Town Centre First Policy which 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. Central to the Town Centre First approach is the range of capital support funding in place, including my Department’s Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) and Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS). Both schemes have already delivered landmark projects across rural Ireland which tackle issues of vacancy and dereliction.

Earlier this year under RRDF I announced funding of €164 million for 30 projects under the 5th Call for Category 1 projects located right across the country. These projects will be transformative as they focus on revitalising our rural towns and villages by supporting sustainable regeneration projects and addressing dereliction.

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme was launched in 2016 and since then over €177 million has been allocated to almost 1,800 projects. The 2022 and 2023 TVRS prioritised projects that bring vacant and derelict buildings back into use and promotes social vibrancy in town centres. In April of this year I announced €20.4 million in funding to support 82 successful projects under the 2023 Scheme. A full list of the approved projects under both these schemes can be viewed on my Department’s website.

In recognition of the urgent need to regenerate town centres I introduced a Building Acquisition Measure under TVRS in 2022. This funded local authorities to acquire derelict or vacant buildings in rural towns and villages to be subsequently be developed as community facilities.

In the first year of the new measure, total funding of €400,000 was made available to each eligible local authority to purchase up to two properties. Having seen the success of this approach, in 2023 I made funding available again, allowing each local authority up to €500,000 to purchase up to 3 properties. In 2022, 29 properties were purchased by local authorities using this funding, with a further 24 properties purchased in 2023.

The 2023 TVRS also supported projects that bring vacant and derelict buildings and sites back into use as multipurpose spaces which could include both the purchase and renovation of vacant and derelict buildings. Under the 2023 Scheme one project was approved for the purchase of a building to be developed into a community hub.

Each year, the priorities of the scheme are reviewed to ensure that funding is targeted effectively to support vibrant and attractive communities. This will continue for the 2024 Scheme and the core aims of Town Centre First and the needs of communities around Ireland will be at the heart of any changes made.