Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 May 2025
740. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on plans to establish a new Towns and Cities Infrastructure Investment Fund, to replace the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund. [23766/25]
View answer741. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on his plans to create a new strategic fund to invest in infrastructure, to acquire land, assemble sites, and de-risk sites in existing towns and cities, to maximise their potential growth. [23767/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 740 and 741 together.
In line with the agreed Programme for Government, it is my intention to establish a new Towns and Cities Infrastructure Investment Fund to replace the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF). With this new fund it is the aim of my Department to continue and expand URDF-type investment in projects. This will allow for investment in infrastructure, the acquisition of land, assembly of sites and the de-risking of sites in existing towns and cities to maximise their potential growth.
The detailed arrangements for the implementation of these funding streams will be clarified further following completion of the National Development Plan Review, which is the responsibility of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitisation, and which will enable the level of additional capital funding for infrastructure investment to be determined. It is planned that the Review will be completed in line with the Summer 2025 timeline set out in the Programme for Government.
In the meantime, the existing €2 billion URDF continues to drive delivery of the 132 successful applications for funding. It comprises 428 individual projects which are currently progressing through the various stages of the project lifecycle, along with a dedicated programme of acquisitions in each local authority to address long term vacancy and dereliction.
An interactive GIS Story Map site, containing details of all successful URDF projects under Call 1 and Call 2, is available to give elected representatives and members of the public access up-to-date information on all URDF supported projects at a Local Authority level. The site is available through the URDF site at: www.gov.ie/URDF.
