Town Centre First is a major new strategy to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into town centres.
The first significant action in the policy is the establishment of a National Town Centre First Office, based in the LGMA and led by a National Town Centre First Coordinator.
The National Town Centre First Office will drive best practice implementation of policy actions and coordinate engagement with national stakeholders and the local government sector.
The office will also support and coordinate a network of Town Regeneration Officers to be appointed in 26 local authorities, who will bring a coordinated approach to the delivery of Town Centre First across the country and support local town teams.
About Town Centre First
The new Town Centre First policy will deliver on the objectives of ‘Housing for All’ and ‘Our Rural Future’. It policy contains 33 unique actions to give our towns the tools and resources they need to become more viable and attractive places in which to live, work, visit and run a business.
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.
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.
The actions also support the protection of our environment, as well as the heritage and culture of our towns.
You can read the Town Centre First policy at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/473d3-town-centre-first-policy/