Town Renewal Act, 2000

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Town renewal plans.

3.—(1) A county council may, subject to subsections (3) and (4), prepare and submit to the Minister one or more plans (which or each of which shall be known, and is in this Act referred to, as a “town renewal plan”) in respect of an eligible town, or an area or areas of an eligible town, within the functional area of the county council and, if the county council thinks fit and subject to that subsection, an area referred to in subsection (2).

(2) The area in respect of which a town renewal plan may be prepared may include a part or parts of the functional areas of one or more other county councils if that county council or those county councils consent to that part or parts being included.

(3) A county council, when selecting an eligible town or an area or areas of an eligible town for the purpose of preparing a town renewal plan, shall have regard to any criteria which the Minister specifies in writing to be criteria which a county council shall have regard to in making such a selection and when specifying those criteria the Minister shall have regard, and only have regard to, the need for—

(a) the promotion of the physical renewal and revitalisation of towns,

(b) the promotion of towns as cultural, commercial, social and residential centres,

(c) the promotion of sustainable development patterns, and

(d) the enhancement of the amenities, heritage and environment of towns.

(4) A county council, when preparing a town renewal plan, shall have regard to any criteria which the Minister specifies in writing to be criteria to which a county council shall have regard when preparing a town renewal plan and, when so specifying, the Minister shall, having regard to the matters referred to in paragraphs (a) to (d) of subsection (3), include criteria for—

(a) the format of, and matters to be included in, a town renewal plan,

(b) design considerations,

(c) the selection of buildings and areas for the purposes of applying relief from income tax and corporation tax under Chapter 10 (inserted by the Finance Act, 2000 ) of Part 10 of the Act of 1997, and

(d) the procedure for consultation by a county council in respect of the preparation of a town renewal plan.

(5) The Minister may from time to time make and publish guidelines to which a county council shall have regard in performing its functions under this Act; those guidelines shall include the criteria referred to in subsections (3) and (4).

(6) A town renewal plan shall consist of a written statement and a plan indicating the objectives for—

(a) the renewal, on a sustainable basis, of an area comprising the whole or part of the eligible town to which the town renewal plan relates, and

(b) improvements in the physical environment of the area comprising the whole or part of the eligible town to which the town renewal plan relates.

(7) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (6) a town renewal plan may, where appropriate, in relation to the area comprising the whole or part of the eligible town to which it relates, include objectives for—

(a) the renewal, preservation, conservation, restoration, development or redevelopment of the townscape, layout and building pattern of that area, including facades of buildings and shop frontages,

(b) the restoration, refurbishment, consolidation and improvement of the building fabric of the area,

(c) the density of development and the treatment of spaces between buildings,

(d) the preservation and protection of the natural, architectural and archaeological heritage,

(e) the development or redevelopment, for residential or other appropriate use, of—

(i) derelict or vacant sites, or

(ii) buildings or parts of buildings,

(f) the promotion of sustainable development patterns, including the protection and improvement of the environment and amenities,

(g) the removal of barriers to development, and

(h) the enhanced use of infrastructural capacity.

(8) In preparing a town renewal plan the county council may consult with such other persons as appear to it to be concerned with or interested in the matter and shall have regard to any submissions or observations made to it by such persons in the course of that consultation.