Derelict Sites

12. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the role his Department has taken in tackling vacancy and dereliction in our towns and villages. [72877/26]

50. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the specific supports in place in his Department and in co-operation with other Government Departments to address the issue of dereliction in towns, villages and the rural countryside. [71612/26]

I am taking Question No. 12 on behalf of my colleague Deputy Gould. It is on the role of the Department in tackling vacancy and dereliction in towns and villages. As the Sinn Féin spokesperson on local government, Deputy Gould has highlighted this issue time and again, particularly with regard to vacancy and its impact on the housing crisis. He has raised it frequently with the Minister for housing. This is something that concerns rural communities as well, regarding the use of the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, and the town and village renewal scheme. This is why we think it is very important in the context of the next Our Rural Future policy, to be published imminently, that the Minister give us his opinion on it.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 50 together. I thank both Deputies for raising this issue. I wish to say to Deputy McGuinness that earlier we expressed our sympathies to him and the community in Waterford on the appalling tragedy that happened on Tuesday. I assure him and all our colleagues of the support of the Department for the community afterwards. To answer the questions asked by Deputies Gould, McGuinness and O'Shea, tackling vacancy and dereliction is a key priority for the Government. We are very clear that the reuse of vacant and derelict properties will provide a catalyst for revitalising communities. Our Department's policy framework and many of the support schemes available under the rural development investment programme reflect this. For example, the town centre first policy is a is a joint initiative between my Department and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The aim of the policy is to regenerate and enhance the social and economic revival of towns and villages and to address the challenges of vacancy and dereliction Deputy McGuinness has outlined. The policy has seen town regeneration officers, who are funded by my Department, work closely across multidisciplinary teams in local authorities which are collectively responsible for town regeneration, with a focus on combating vacancy and dereliction. This includes, for example, the dedicated capital delivery teams. It also includes broadband officers and vacant homes officers. Importantly, a range of capital funding streams is available to support delivery of town centre first objectives. The town and village renewal scheme and the RRDF have provided growing levels of investment to rural communities in recent years. The RRDF seeks to support large-scale and ambitious projects to achieve sustainable economic and social development in our rural towns. Since 2020, almost €446 million has been allocated for 163 projects across Ireland. The assessment process for the applications received in response to the latest call for proposals under the fund is ongoing and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I hope to announce the successful projects before the end of the year. The town and village renewal scheme is designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. It supports projects to bring derelict and vacant buildings and sites back into use as multi-purpose community spaces. Over €217 million has been allocated to almost 2,000 projects since the launch of the scheme. The 2026 call for proposals under the scheme was launched in September. There are two funding streams available, which are the main scheme and the project development measure. The closing date for applications is 22 January 2027. The town centre first approach complements other national policies, including the national housing strategy, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, as well as the national planning framework, all of which have the aim of tackling vacancy and dereliction, achieving balanced regional development and building supporting local communities. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has a suite of housing supports under the vacant property refurbishment grant under the croí cónaithe initiative, as well as the town centre first heritage renewal scheme, THRIVE. Our Department is working closely with colleagues across the Government. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I work closely with the Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, to deliver on the goal of revitalising rural towns and villages, with a focus on addressing dereliction and vacancy.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as an bhfreagra sin. Tiocfaidh mé ar ais chuig an méid atá ráite aige mar gheall ar Phort Láirge. Regarding this question, I have seen at first hand some of the good work being carried out, for example, by Waterford City and County Council. I am sure there are plenty of positive examples from other local authorities. It seems, though, that sometimes the pace is very slow. We are looking at villages and towns where there is considerable dereliction and vacancy in town centres, and this poses a risk to the viability of those towns and villages. This issue is something that needs to be reflected in the next iteration of Our Rural Future already under way in the Minister's Department. Villages and towns can very quickly lose critical mass in respect of liveability, commercial space and viability. This is why we need to see additional supports for local authorities, and also more funding, to allow them to make quicker decisions, bankroll them more effectively and allow them to tackle dereliction and vacancy at a quicker pace.

I thank the Minister for his reply. Dereliction is one of the most visible problems in Ireland today. Every Deputy here can name a street in their constituency where a once-thriving shopfront is boarded up or a family home has stood empty for decades. In Cork North-West, it is the first thing people raise with me on the doorsteps. The cost of this problem is real. Dereliction drags down the look and feel of a place. It discourages investment and drives away footfall. It also wastes homes at a time when thousands of families are desperate for one. I do welcome the supports the Minister has outlined, including the town and village renewal scheme, the rural regeneration and development fund and the town centre first policy. These are all making a visible difference in our towns and villages. The town regeneration officers, who are also in local authorities, are key contacts. They give communities the level of contact and support they need. I would, though, welcome some cross-departmental work with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, including on the vacant property refurbishment grants and activation in relation to the derelict sites register.

I thank both Deputies for their remarks. We had a very good visit, along with the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, earlier in Lismore and Cappoquin. It is possible to see the difference our schemes are making. Equally, there is also evidence of what the Deputy has just said in respect of dereliction being able to take a whole town down. It was the same in respect of what Deputy O'Shea said. We do fund the town regeneration officers in local authorities. That funding comes from my Department. We have driven the establishment of capital delivery teams. I spoke earlier, when we were discussing the RRDF, about my frustration that this funding is being allocated but not being drawn down quickly enough. I share the frustration of both Deputies in relation to this issue. Where we have capital delivery teams working, they are drawing down funding and making sure that the funding is being delivered and is addressing dereliction and vacancy, as well as regeneration. We have the schemes there and they are working well. There is variance in terms of the performance but, as the Deputy will know, when it comes to property and ownership in this regard, it can be difficult, particularly in towns. There can be a myriad of reasons why a property is left vacant and allowed to go into dereliction. We are moving in respect of the derelict sites register and the derelict sites tax, and local authorities are being given more power to do that. I refer to the RRDF and the town and village renewal scheme. The town and village renewal scheme, in particular, has a measure within it that does not get a lot of coverage: the building and land acquisition measure. This allows a council to acquire a property in a town to act as a catalyst for regeneration. This might involve opening a new space in a town or revitalising a derelict property as a community space. As well as the public realm projects we see under the town and village renewal scheme, we can do building and land acquisition to revitalise a town or village.

We are speaking in common purpose in this regard. Additional capital would be useful for those local authorities that are performing. Perhaps the Minister and his colleagues in government can discuss ways to fast-track some of those legal processes, without in any way impinging on the rights of people in order to ensure those properties identified that are sometimes caught up in legal processes and seem to go on for years can be fast-tracked.

I thank the Minister for his reply. I concur with him and agree that the measures currently in place are working well. We have one example in Cork North-West where the land acquisition measure from the town and village renewal scheme was successful. In my constituency, Cork County Council, in conjunction with the community, bought a vacant site in the village of Ballinagree to provide a community building into the future. It is worthwhile and a success for the constituency. I ask the Minister to work with the Department of housing in this regard. Cork County Council has gone to the low-hanging fruit and delivered. There are complex cases of dereliction in our towns and villages. A lot of these sites have ownership and title issues, and other issues in dispute. Support is needed so that the council can work with the Department of housing for compulsory purchase orders. My county has not been very proactive in compulsory purchase orders, unfortunately, unlike other counties. County Limerick, my neighbouring county, is one example. We need to work with local authorities to try to push that method to make sure we tackle dereliction in future.

Deputy O'Shea hit the nub of this issue regarding the difficulties of complex cases. Some local authorities have been good. We see this as we go around the country. These local authorities have ripped off the plaster and done it, and it has made such a difference. The Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, who has responsibility in this space, and the Minister for housing, Deputy Browne, are committed to this. Returning to the building and land acquisition measure, we have confirmed funding of €7.2 million for this year. That will fund 38 projects around the country and will assist in opening up properties. As I said, the town and village renewal scheme is open for applications through the main scheme and through the project development avenue. I appeal to local authorities to think outside the box. We get a lot of fancy public realm applications. It is lovely to have town and civic spaces but there is no point in having those lovely, accessible public spaces if the buildings around them are derelict. If local authorities use the powers available to them, and the funding available to them from my Department and the Department of housing, as well as using the resources of the town regeneration officers and their skills, we can use the existing capital money to make bigger and more transformative changes. We can look to those local authorities that have dealt with those complex cases, and some come to mind that have gone into the depths of dealing with such complex cases. It has made a massive different in towns and villages. The work under way in County Waterford, both in Cappoquin and the super project in Lismore within the existing town centre, showcases the success of the schemes. Similarly, we have had good discussion with councillors in Cork recently around the schemes and their impact, as well as the need for bigger counties to do something a bit more different. The Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I have taken all of that on board.