‘A Town Regeneration Officer will be appointed to Roscrea as part of Town Centre
First – a major new policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and
breathe new life into town centres’ says Deputy Michael Lowry.
Roscrea is the town put forward by Tipperary County Council for this new Town
Centre First initiative, which contains 33 unique actions which will give selected
towns across the country the tools and resources they need to become more viable
and attractive places in which to live, work, visit and run a business.
In a statement released by Government on Friday to launch the new initiative, it was
stated that 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), Crói
Conaithe (Towns) Fund and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.
The formal launch of the new policy was overseen by the Minister for Rural and
Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, the Minister for Planning and
Local Government, Peter Burke TD; and the Minister for Heritage and Electoral
Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD
For the first time, designated towns will gain their own dedicated Town Regeneration
Officers, who will be crucial to driving future development.
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 the environment, as well as the heritage
and culture of our towns.
