Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 May 2026
106. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the spending, by year, to date on the Dublin Inner City Taskforce including projects funded by the initiative or because of it, in tabular form. [35532/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Dublin City Taskforce Report, published in October 2024, recommended ‘10 Big Moves’ for regeneration with a focus on the revitalisation of O’Connell Street and the environs across a range of areas including addressing dereliction, improved services and visibility in security.
Following this an Interdepartmental Group (IDG) examined the recommendations made by the Dublin City Taskforce and submitted a report to Government with a 10-year Roadmap for Delivery of the Taskforce Report. An Oversight Board, comprising all of the relevant Departments and Agencies (including my Department) has been established to oversee and provide strategic direction for delivery of the Roadmap. It is chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and has been meeting regularly since its establishment in July 2025.
The Roadmap for Delivery of the Dublin City Taskforce Report creates an enabling environment designed to build confidence with business, landholders and investors to get involved in achieving a new vision for Dublin City Centre and to drive private sector investment.
Implementation of the Roadmap is also being underpinned by NDP investment funding and supported by new dedicated delivery structures in Dublin City Council (DCC), including the establishment of a special purpose vehicle (SPV). My Department will continue to work collaboratively with Dublin City Council and the relevant SPV in that context.
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, including investments in Dublin within the Inner City Taskforce area. In that respect, the Department is working collaboratively with DCC, through meetings and the exchange of information, to establish, in the first instance, the detail of DCC’s funding requirements from my Department.
In the meantime, it should be noted that the Towns and Cities Regeneration Investment Fund, (formerly the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF)) is already supporting a number of projects within the Dublin City Taskforce area. Funding of €132m has already been allocated for the URDF ‘North Inner City Concept Area 1’ proposal. This proposal involves the regeneration and redevelopment of several areas of the north city that have suffered from dereliction and decline over a number of years. Its main objective is to achieve long-term sustainable regeneration in respect of the redevelopment of various areas.
One of the main projects within the proposal, ‘Parnell Square Culture Quarter’, secured ‘Approval gate 2/Pre-tender Approval’ in August and is currently at final tender stage. €60m of funding has been allocated to this project with just over €9m of URDF funding spent to date (on design and preparatory works). Additionally, €8.7m of URDF funding has been spent to date on the ‘Fruit & Vegetable Market’ which is currently on-site. While outside the core inner city area, it is adjacent to it and will be an important driver of regeneration.
