Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 February 2026
31. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht his Department’s efforts to tackle dereliction in rural towns and villages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7451/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraLaunched in 2022, the Town Centre First (TCF) Policy is a major cross-government policy, which aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres. It does this by setting out a framework to facilitate and resource the regeneration of Irish towns to ensure they are vibrant, viable places to live, work, invest in, and visit.
TCF complements other national policies including Our Rural Future, the new national housing strategy ‘Delivering Homes, Building Communities', as well as the National Planning Framework, which also aim to tackle vacancy and dereliction, achieve balanced regional development and support local communities.
Significant progress has been made since the launch of the TCF policy towards achieving its objectives. Town Regeneration Officers (TROs) based in 26 local authorities are funded by my Department and provide support for the establishment and work of Town Teams. They also act as a key conduit between the local authority, towns and villages and their communities. More broadly, they work closely across multidisciplinary technical teams in local authorities who are collectively charged with responsibility of town regeneration including combatting vacancy and dereliction. This includes for example new and dedicated ‘Capital Delivery Teams’ who are also funded by my Department, Vacant Homes Officers, Broadband Officers and Night-Time Economy Officers.
Funding of €2.6 million has been provided previously to support the development of 26 TCF town plans nationally. This first phase of TCF plans is complete and have moved onto the project delivery phase.
Further funding of c.€4.5 million was allocated for the development of a further 26 TCF town plans, support the establishment and development of town teams, and fund Project Development Measure projects under the umbrella of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.
TCF is underpinned by a range of capital funding streams available to local authorities irrespective of whether they have formal TCF Plans or Town Teams in place. In terms of combatting vacancy and dereliction, supports within my own Department include the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS).
The RRDF is a key measure supporting the objectives of the TCF Policy. It is a major capital programme that supports the revitalisation of rural Ireland through large-scale, ambitious projects that can achieve sustainable economic and social development in rural areas. To date, the RRDF has allocated €613 million for 273 projects across Ireland, including over €32 million to 20 projects located across County Galway.
Projects supported by the RRDF have had a strong focus on regeneration and will deliver vibrant and liveable town centres and ensure that rural towns, villages and communities can prosper over the months and years ahead.
The TVRS places particular emphasis on projects that will bring derelict and vacant buildings and sites back into use as multipurpose community spaces. Since its launch, TVRS has allocated over €210 million to over 1,900 projects nationally, with over €8.5 million in funding allocated to 81 projects in County Galway.
It is also important to note that there is a range of other support funding in place right across Government. Town Centre First has been developed in conjunction with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, who have capital schemes available including the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund and the THRIVE scheme. Separately, the suite of measures detailed in ‘Bringing Back Homes’ details over 20 incentives and grants to address vacancy and dereliction. Supports include the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant under the Croí Conaithe initiative, the Repair and Leasing Scheme, the Buy and Renew Scheme, and the Living City Initiative.
My Department will continue to work closely with colleagues in the National TCF Office, local authorities and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to deliver on the goal of revitalising rural towns and villages and addressing the issues of dereliction and vacancy.
