Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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121. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government for a progress update on the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58898/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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A flagship element of Project Ireland 2040, the €2 billion Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is supporting a programme of significant transformational capital projects that will contribute to the regeneration and rejuvenation of Ireland’s cities and other large towns, in line with the objectives of the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan.

To date, there have been three rounds of funding provided under the URDF, details of which are provided in the table below:

The 132 successful proposals from Calls 1 and 2 comprise 428 individual projects, of which 136 projects are complete or substantially complete, with a further 54 on-site. The total drawdown to date for URDF funding is just over €510m.

While Calls 1 and 2 were for specific regeneration or development proposals, in January 2023 a third round of funding to address long-term vacancy and dereliction, and support the key objectives of Housing for All and Town Centre First, was announced. As a shift in focus from previous rounds of funding, Call 3 provided a €150 million revolving fund for local authorities to acquire long-term vacant or derelict properties in URDF eligible towns and cities.

As set out in Delivering Homes Building Communities, I intend to extend the reach of URDF Call 3 to better deal with derelict sites or lands, in order to increase the delivery of new homes. This will enable a focus on problematic infill derelict sites where acquiring and developing homes will remove dereliction, and support regeneration of adjoining buildings.

In line with the agreed Programme for Government, and as set out in Delivering Homes Building Communities, the initial €2 billion allocation to the URDF has been extended by a further €500 million to 2030 under the updated NDP. Working alongside other funding streams, this additional funding will expand URDF-type investments to provide broader public investment, including in social and community facilities to support regeneration and the development of sustainable communities.

The detailed arrangements for the implementation of this additional funding stream is currently under development following the completion of the National Development Plan Review process. Further details should issue to the local authorities in the coming weeks.

My Department will work closely with local authorities in respect of project development under the URDF. However, responsibility for the composition of any applications for funding and their advancement through the various stages of planning, development and completion will remain, in the first instance, a matter for the relevant local authority.