Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2026
40. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the breakdown of town and village renewal, rural regeneration and development fund allocations, including applications refused, by county for the period 2023-2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53058/26]
View answerThe Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a major capital investment programme, which seeks to support large-scale, ambitious projects that can achieve sustainable economic and social development in rural areas. The focus of the RRDF is on rural towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000 people. To date, the RRDF has allocated over €610 million for 270 projects across Ireland.
Calls for applications to the RRDF are sought under two categories. Category 1 relates to large scale capital works projects with all necessary planning and consents in place and are ready to proceed. Category 2, which typically provides funding of up to €1m per project, relates to projects which may planning permissions and statutory consents and further development to become ready for Category 1 status.
It should be noted that the assessment process for RRDF operates on a competitive application basis and is a place based and demand-led Fund.
In February of this year, I was delighted to open applications in respect of a Sixth Call for Category 1 Call for proposals under Fund, and am inviting proposals for projects that will help revitalise our rural towns and villages and provide the necessary facilities and infrastructure to assist in attracting people to live, work and invest in rural areas. Full details on this Call can be located on my Department’s website.
The Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) was introduced in 2016 and is one of a number of measures designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. Since the launch of the scheme over €210 million has been allocated to over 1,900 projects. TVRS is administered by local authorities, who work closely with local communities and businesses to develop proposals to respond to the needs of our rural towns and villages. The local authority has the responsibility for identifying and shortlisting local priority projects in advance of submitting applications to the Department.
In April I announced a new call for proposals under the Building and Land Acquisition Measure of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. Assessment of these applications is currently ongoing, and local authorities will be informed of the successful acquisitions shortly.
The details of the next iteration of TVRS are currently being developed and it is my intention to issue a call for proposals under the Main Scheme and Project Development Measure strands of the scheme later this year.
The details requested by the Deputy regarding applications made under the RRDF and TVRS respectively, between 2023 and 2026 are outlined in the tables at the links below.
I am committed to ensuring that my Department’s schemes can continue to support high quality and transformational projects across rural Ireland in line with the objectives of Our Rural Future and the Town Centre First policy.
