My colleague Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys today announced that her Department has allocated €13 million to help tackle vacancy and dereliction in rural Ireland.
I welcome today’s announcement of up to €500,000 for the Local Authorities of Laois and Offaly to purchase vacant buildings for community use. It is Green Party policy to tackle vacancy and dereliction in our towns for both social and environmental reasons. The Greens are standing up for rural Ireland, all around the Midlands I see wonderful, Government funded, projects based on Green policies. Today’s announcement is yet another boost to our town centers and I would encourage people to contact either myself or their County Council if they have a building or a project in mind.
The funding, under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, was designed to make our towns and villages more attractive places to live, visit, invest and raise a family. Funding previously announced under the scheme saw old banks, court houses, Garda stations and FCA halls all purchased and re-purposed for 21st century use.
Ireland’s Town Centre First Policy recognises there is no one-size-fits-all solution to regeneration, so actively supports a place-based approach to town regeneration. Since the launch of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, over €149 million has been allocated to more than 1,600 projects.
The Scheme is having a transformative effect on towns and villages throughout Ireland and has made an valid contribution to supporting vibrant and sustainable communities. Access details of the 2023 Building Acquisition Measure.