Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2026
12. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to outline his Department's efforts to tackle dereliction in rural towns and villages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52951/26]
View answerLaunched in 2022, the Town Centre First policy is a major cross-government policy, which aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres.
The Town Centre First policy complements other policies including Our Rural Future, the national housing strategy ‘Delivering Homes, Building Communities', and the National Planning Framework, which also prioritise addressing vacancy and dereliction.
Town Regeneration Officers, funded by my Department, are a key link between the local authority, towns and villages and their communities. They work across multi-disciplinary regeneration teams in local authorities, including with Vacant Homes Officers funded by the Department of Housing, to develop and progress projects to renew and revitalise our communities.
A range of capital funding streams is available to support delivery on Town Centre First objectives. The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund or RRDF is a major capital programme that supports large-scale, ambitious projects that can achieve sustainable economic and social development in rural areas. To date, the RRDF has allocated €610 million for 270 projects across Ireland.
The Town and Village Renewal Scheme or TVRS places particular emphasis on projects that will bring derelict and vacant buildings and sites back into use as multi-purpose community spaces. Since its launch, TVRS has allocated over €210m to over 1,900 projects nationally.
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, who holds joint responsibility for the policy, also implements a broad suite of schemes including the Towns and Cities Regeneration Investment Fund, the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant under the Croí Conaithe initiative, and THRIVE - the TCF Heritage Renewal Scheme.
I am committed to ensuring that my Department will continue to support high quality and transformational projects across rural Ireland addressing the issues of vacancy and dereliction.
