277. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount allocated under URDF funding, by project; and the amount drawn down to date in 2026, in tabular form. [54185/26]

On 5 March last, I announced a new Towns and Cities Regeneration Investment Fund which, while replacing the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), will continue to build on its success to date and apply many of the key criteria established by Government in 2018 for the URDF. The new Fund will continue to support urban regeneration projects and the development of sustainable communities through the provision of part-funding for applicant-led projects. In doing so, it will significantly contribute to the regeneration and rejuvenation of Ireland’s cities and other large towns, in line with the objectives of the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan.

As set out in Delivering Homes, Building Communities, a further €500 million to 2030 under the updated NDP has been made available for the Towns and Cities Regeneration Investment Fund. The deadline for applications under Round 1 of the new Fund closed on May 1st. With a focus on supporting policies such as ‘Town Centre First’ and City Task Forces, the new Towns and Cities Regeneration Investment Fund will deliver transformative and impactful projects that will regenerate eligible areas.

A breakdown of the existing URDF Call 1 and 2 allocations, the project funding drawdown to date, and the drawdown across 2026 can be seen at the link below:

URDF funding up to 2026

While Calls 1 and 2 were for specific regeneration or development proposals, in January 2023 a third round of funding to address long term vacancy and dereliction, and support the key objectives of Housing for All and Town Centre First, was announced.  As a shift in focus from previous rounds of funding, Call 3 provided a €150 million revolving fund for local authorities to acquire long term vacant or derelict properties in URDF eligible towns and cities. Currently, there are 1,428 properties on the approved acquisition list under Call 3. Total approved expenditure on these properties to date is €9,906,585.