Town Centre First policy to breathe new life into Laois towns says Government

The Government has today published Town Centre First which it says is a major new policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into town centres across Laois and other counties around Ireland.

The cross-departmental initiative contains 33 actions which it is claimed will give towns the tools and resources to become more viable and attractive places in which to live, work, visit and run a business.

A statement said the policy is underpinned by multi-billion euro investment spread across major Government schemes such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), Croí Conaithe (Towns) Fund and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

It says that for the first time, designated towns will gain their own dedicated Town Regeneration Officers, who will be crucial to driving future development.

A statement added that the policy also contains a range of actions designed to achieve key objectives such as social and economic revival in towns, the provision of housing, as well as addressing challenges like vacancy and derelict buildings.

It is claimed that the actions also support the protection of our environment, as well as the heritage and culture of our towns.

Town Centre First was launched in Moate by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, the Minister for Planning and Local Government, Peter Burke TD; and the Minister for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD.

The policy was launched at Moate library, a former Courthouse building. The formerly derelict building, dating back to 1828, was converted by Westmeath County Council.

A statement said Town Centre First, which supports the objectives of Housing for All and Our Rural Future, is a commitment under the Programme for Government.

In December 2021, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, announced €100,000 in funding for Laois County Council to support the development of a Town Centre First Plan for Rathdowney.

Towns for this first phase of funding were selected based on submissions received from the local authorities. Further funding phases for Town Centre First Plans will be announced in due course.

Among the specific actions contained in Town Centre First include:

·         Town Centre First Plans: Support for towns in producing their own Town Centre First Plans, produced by a local Town Team drawn from local community and business representatives. These will identify challenges, actions and integrated responses across a number of themes (business/commercial; community/cultural; housing; built environment; heritage)

·         Investment: Implementation of plans will be supported by a targeted investment programme across Government, including through the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) and dedicated funding streams to tackle vacancy and dereliction in particular.

·         A network of Town Regeneration Officers: who will bring a coordinated approach to Town Centre First delivery across the country and support local Town Teams

·         A National Town Centre First Office: that will drive implementation of Town Centre First actions and coordinate stakeholder engagement at a national level and across the local government sector. This office will also be a forum for best practice

·         Capacity building programmes for Town Teams

·         Health Check Programme: a national, integrated and scaled-up programme for towns

·         A Town Centre First toolkit (including web portal): this will provide access to all resources, funding information and best practice models for developing Town Centre First plans

·         Identification of ‘pathfinder towns’: to act as demonstrators of the Town Centre First approach and lead best practice. Towns requiring more support with local stakeholder collaboration and access to investment programmes will be identified at an early stage

·         A Town Centre First National Oversight and Advisory Group: the group will ensure cross-government focus and policy alignment. It will monitor and guide policy delivery and annual implementation plans.

·         Impact assessment methodology: this will help assess the impact of development and investment on town centres. It will be applied to the statutory planning system.

·         A research and evidence platform and agreed data measurement requirements: these will relate to key social and economic outcomes and ensure there is an evidence base for the ongoing evaluation of the Town Centre First policy.

The Town Centre First policy can be viewed here.

Funding streams outlined by Government which hit says will assist with Town Centre First Plans implementation

Funds include:

·         Urban Regeneration and Development Fund - supports urban regeneration/compact urban growth in cities/towns with a population of over 10,000, and enables a greater proportion of residential and mixed used development to be delivered within the existing built-up footprints of our cities and towns and make them more attractive and vibrant places. The fund has already approved €410 million in funding for projects in towns. These projects will be completed over the next few years. A funding call for new projects to local authorities will be made in summer 2022 which will be specifically aimed at Town Centre First Implementation as one of its key objectives

·         Rural Regeneration and Development Fund - supports the regeneration and development of rural towns, villages and outlying areas. The purpose is to support job creation in rural areas, address de-population of rural communities and support improvements in our towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000. The fund has already approved €197 million in funding for projects in towns. These projects will be completed over the next few years. The latest call for applications under the Fund, with a clear focus on revitalising our towns and villages as part of the Town Centre First policy, was launched on 17th December.

·         Housing for All’s forthcoming Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund – it will be aimed at servicing sites for new homes in regional towns and villages and to support refurbishment of vacant houses. Public infrastructure agencies, such as Irish Water, and local communities will work to provide serviced sites for housing. This will help attract people to build their own homes and live in small towns and villages.

·         Investment supports from the forthcoming European Regional Development Fund 2021-27 programme will be directed to towns in conjunction with the Regional Assemblies. Tackling vacancy and dereliction in towns, in support of the Town Centre First approach, will be a particular emphasis for this future funding scheme which is currently being designed for launch later in 2022.

·         The Active Travel Fund made allocations of over €289m to approximately1,200 projects across the 31 local authorities for 2022 – including the provision and improvement of pedestrian and cycle facilities as well as the preparation of local transport research and bespoke transport plans. These funding supports are integrating into the wider regeneration and development plans for towns and their communities.

·         Town and Village Renewal Scheme – the scheme provides funding of up to €500,000 per project to support the economic and social recovery of rural towns with a population of less than 10,000 people, and focuses on projects that have clear positive impacts on the town in terms of place-making, addressing vacancy, supporting remote working and town centre regeneration. It has also provided specific funding for streetscapes enhancements across 120 towns in 2021. The 2022 Scheme is expected to be opened shortly.

·         Climate adaptation/retrofitting - The Climate Action and Retrofitting Initiatives sets a target of upgrading 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating of B2 / cost optimal equivalent or carbon equivalent by 2030. Local Authorities are funded in undertaking an ambitious programme of insulation retrofitting of the least energy efficient social homes. In 2022, the Energy Efficiency Retrofitting programme will see a significant increase in funding support to local authorities, from €65 million in 2021 to €85 million, enabling approximately 2,400 homes nationally to be upgraded to a B2 or equivalent standard.

·         Built Heritage supports such as the Historic Towns Initiative - which funds works to significant historic buildings, streetscape conservation and enhancement in heritage towns (€2m in 2022) and the Historic Structures Fund for works to heritage structures in both public and private ownership ranging from €15,000- €200,000 under various funding streams.