Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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118. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if cross-departmental plans are being developed to alleviate the pressure on the retail industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41005/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Many traditional town centres have suffered from a decline in retail activity due to the loss of their immediate population base and shifting retail patterns, including an increase in on-line sales. This has led to increased rates of vacancy and can have a major impact on the vibrancy and vitality of a town centre. Retailing is shifting away from being solely reliant on the purchasing of goods toward more ‘experience-led’ retail that includes a blend of retail services (including food and drink), leisure, entertainment and cultural uses. City and town centres are in an optimal position to take advantage of the shift toward more blended retailing and the Government is progressing a number of initiatives and investment programmes to support the regeneration of retail environments in city and town centre locations.

The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment has established the Retail Forum which is developing dynamic strategies to support retail business across the Country. The purpose of the forum is to allow key issues of relevance to the retail sector to be discussed, with a view to identifying practical actions which could be taken by government, or by industry itself, to support the sector with particular emphasis on achieving sustainable jobs growth in the sector.

The Night Time Economy (NTE) Taskforce, established in 2020 and led by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (DTCAGSM) is also supporting initiatives in core retailing areas to increase footfall and activity in central retail core areas of our towns and cities. In addition to focussing on the development of new community, cultural and outdoor spaces across the Country, the NTE Taskforce has established new festivals and late night event programmes in national cultural institutions, and appointed new Night-Time Economy Advisors and Night-Time Economy Committees in 9 urban centres across Ireland, including Kilkenny, Dublin, Cork, Galway, and Limerick City.

In managing new retail development, our planning system continues to implement the objectives of the Retail Planning Guidelines (2012) in ensuring that important new retail development is sustainably located, enhances local retail provision and coordinates with wider strategic national planning policy. Local retail policies in statutory city and county development plans and decision-making on new retail planning applications confirm the importance of the appropriate sequential development of retail facilities, favouring support for established core retail areas with new development in preference to creating competing new retail locations at the edge or periphery of our cities and towns which can undermine existing retail businesses and activity.

Enhanced place making through quality parks, squares, streets and other outdoor spaces that make up the public realm are also key to promoting and sustaining retailing. A high quality public realm is supported by the Town Centre First Policy Approach for Irish Towns (2022) and through the related funding schemes such as the €2 billion Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS). Currently, URDF, which is administered by my Department, part-funds 132 projects and almost 400 sub-projects across the country. Public realm improvements are also supported though various transport initiatives developed and managed by the National Transport Authority including under the Active Travel Investment Programme.

The Town Centre First policy is also putting in place a suite of supports and tools to help businesses and local communities deliver on the regeneration potential of their towns to ensure that they are vibrant, viable and attractive places to live, work, invest in, and visit. A new National TCF Office was established in 2022 that is working with a network of 26 Town Regeneration Officers (TROs) within the local authorities, who are leading local regeneration and urban renewal at a local level. They are identifying and progressing local regeneration opportunities and directing investment to improve the physical and environmental quality of town centres and the attractiveness of their retailing locations.