Other Members’ Questions

I want to raise the very significant delay in progressing the redevelopment of Athenry town square. This is a prime example of where all of the groundwork has been done bar the actual groundwork. Back in 2023 when I was a member of Galway County Council, the project for the redevelopment of the Athenry town square, for Cross Street and North Gate Street in Athenry, received Part VIII planning approval. Following that, the Government responded and provided rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, funding of almost €6 million in April 2024. It is now October 2026 and we have not seen any action on the ground. There is growing frustration in Athenry that all of this money has been allocated and is sitting there and we have not yet seen the project come to life. I have to compliment the regeneration team in Galway County Council for many of the projects it has delivered over the past few years, including a €4 million upgrade of Portumna court house. It is working on the Loughrea Town Hall theatre. BIA, which I believe the Minister visited in Athenry, is a fantastic food innovation hub. For the people of Athenry who have seen our town grow and expand - we have more than 300 homes under construction and recently welcomed 1,000 new jobs with the investment of Dexcom in Athenry - much good is happening, but this project has been left by the wayside to fall apart. We are not seeing it come to fruition. I ask the Minister to provide an update on this project or what his Department will do to see it come to life.

I thank the Deputy for his question. In relation to Galway County Council, it was successful in the Athenry public realm enhancement community and enterprise hub project under the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF. At that point, the council approved €6.07 million in principle. As regards the design lead, Galway County Council holds the responsibility for the delivery of the project. It is my understanding of the two main elements of the programme that RRDF funding of more than €4.1 million for the Athenry public realm enhancement element will see significant regeneration of the public realm of Athenry’s historic town core and create a more vibrant town centre while funding of €1.9 million for the delivery of the enterprise hub, which is very important, will see a long-term vacant town centre building be turned into a community and enterprise hub. Officials from the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht met officials from Galway County Council on Monday, 5 October to ascertain the most up-to-date position on the project so as to ensure it was making progress. The council has confirmed that the public realm enhancement element is at detailed design stage. The council has advised that there were delays owing to challenges with the delivery of utilities at that juncture. It has confirmed that plans will continue with haste and urgency and will proceed to approval, which will be very important. Regarding the community enterprise hub element of the project, it has been approved to proceed to tender for the main works and the council has confirmed that this is in train. Subject to the outcome of the process, the council will get permission to proceed to construction. I assure the Deputy that, from a Government perspective, there is strong support for both projects. As he pointed out, it is critical with town centres and buildings that we breathe life into them. As a Government that has record RRDF funding, it is critical that local communities can benefit and see the benefit from them, especially regarding enterprise hubs, which I am very supportive of. We would like to see delivery continue at pace. The Deputy also mentioned new employment opportunities in his area, which are quite significant. The Government will continue to ensure that we are making our economy more competitive as well as conducive to significant investments of the scale he mentioned in terms of Dexcom. Anyone travelling up and down the M6 can see the scale of that facility, which demonstrates the special area we have carved out in our life sciences sector. We will come forward by, hopefully, next March with a new life sciences strategy to drive that investment and plan it over the next number of years.

I welcome the engagement that took place on 5 October between the Department of rural and community development and Galway County Council. It is promising to hear that the enterprise hub will be going to tender. In fairness to the council, it moved quickly to acquire that run-down building in the centre of Athenry town, but that was almost two years ago. It is a frustration that Members across the House share. The Government provided funding of approximately €6 million in 2024. The Minister can be sure that Galway County Council will end up coming back and saying it needs more money to complete the project. That is going to be the big frustration with projects like this across the country. Two years to go through detailed design is unacceptable. I welcome that the enterprise hub has gone to tender but the detailed design is ongoing for the larger project of €4 million. It is unacceptable for it to take two years and not even be put to tender. That is something we need to see pushed and impressed upon our councils to deliver.

I thank the Deputy for his concern about this project. There has been a meeting with the Department to push progress and ensure that the local authority delivered both projects. Since 2020, approximately €20.5 million has been allocated to nine projects in County Galway under the RRDF. In July, the Minister, Deputy Calleary visited a number of those projects. He is obviously very much aware of both of the projects the Deputy has referenced. I will raise them with him further to the Deputy’s engagement and concern in respect of delivery. There is not a week that goes by that Councillor Peter Feeney is not on to me in relation to the Athenry BIA Innovator project and the work we are trying to do to support it as a key innovation for food. It is very significant and we look forward to supporting it further in the future. I will raise the Deputy's concern in relation to the two projects with the Minister, Deputy Calleary.