Burke welcomes €2.5m Urban Regeneration Fund Allocation for Westmeath

Minister Peter Burke today welcomed the announcement that Westmeath County Council has been allocated €2,500,000 to tackle building dereliction in our town centres.

“This is part of our ‘Housing for All’ strategy and is available to Local Authorities eligible for the Urban Regeneration Development Fund. We all know derelict properties in our towns and this fund will enable the Local Authority to acquire the most suitable which have potential for residential use.

“Of course, this is a challenging area for Government, but the quarterly review of ‘Housing for All’ shows that progress is being made with work starting on 13,000 new homes nationally since January boosted by, among others, the Help to Buy and First Home Schemes.

“We are building more social housing than any year since 1975 and this is really going to impact on supply which we have been working so hard to increase.

“This regeneration fund will breath new life into our towns and lift the roadblocks that have been there in the past delaying viable projects from proceeding.

“I was so impressed to see the 105 homes of both Social and Affordable Homes which were launched in Athlone and Moate last Friday by Minister Daragh O’Brien T.D. This was a real example of progress being made and homes coming on stream for our communities.

“This regeneration fund will complement existing schemes such as the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant which stands at €50,000 for vacant and €70,000 for a derelict property. The grant has also been extended to include rental properties and properties built up to and including 2007,” says Minister Burke.

“Incentives to activate increased housing supply, including temporary waiving of local authority development contributions and the refunding of Uisce Éireann water and wastewater connection charges will all have an impact over time and increase housing supply in the short to medium term,” concluded Minister Burke.