Regional Operational Programmes 2014-2020 & Sustainable Urban Development

1. Regional Operational Programmes 2014-2020 & Sustainable Urban Development Stephen Blair Director

2. Thematic Concentration • Given the Thematic Concentration requirements as set out in the Structural Funds Regulations, the new Regional Programmes had to focus their efforts on a very limited number of Priorities, having regard to the outcomes of the Needs Analysis and the feedback from the public consultations. • This meant that the targeted areas for the new Programmmes had to be in the broad areas of Research & Innovation, ICT infrastructure, Entrepreneurship for SME’s, Renewable Energy and Sustainable Urban Development.

3. Priorities for new Regional Programmes • Priority 1 – Strengthening RTDI in the Regions • Priority 2 – ICT Infrastructure • Priority 3 – SME Competiveness • Priority 4 – Low Carbon Economy • Priority 5 – Sustainable Urban Development • This Presentation will focus on this 5th Priority

4. Priority 5 Sustainable Urban Development • Specific Objectives of SUD Priority: • To revitalise, regenerate and improve the environment in the urban centres as part of integrated urban strategies. (Investment Priority 6e) • To support low carbon urban mobility in designated urban centres (Investment Priority 4e)

5. Priority 5 cont/ • Proposed Actions: • In line with the integrated urban strategies, Local Authorities in the designated urban centres will bring forward projects under one or more of the following fields: • Green regeneration, physical enhancements and social revitalisation • Rehabilitation of brownfield sites • Rehabilitation/development of cultural infrastructure/assets • Various multimodal mobility actions, such as pedestrianisation schemes, installation & extension of network of cycle lanes and bus lanes, and reduction of short-distance car journeys through the introduction of good quality travel information and alternative infrastructure

6. Financial Plan S&E OP

7. Financial Plan BMW OP

8. URBAN FUND • Total Budget €80 million • 50% or €40m provided by way of ERDF grants, with the other 50% to be put up by the Local Authorities from their own resources. • This match funding will mainly be by way of cash, but some in-kind costs may be accepted. • Borrowings will not be permitted for match funding. • Projects to run over a 1-3 year period

9. Outline of Scheme • The Sustainable Urban Development Priority will be delivered by way of one or more calls directed at the designated lead authorities for the NSS Gateways in both the BMW and S&E Regions and the Hub Towns in the S&E Region. • These calls will specify the funding which will be available and will specify the types of eligible projects which will be considered, and the criteria which will be used to assess eligibility of projects put forward by local authorities. All projects will have to demonstrate how they fit within an integrated urban plan which has been adopted for the city/town.

10. Outline of Scheme cont./ • A Steering Committee will be established to oversee the implementation of the scheme, whose membership will be drawn from officials in the Departments of Environment and Public Expenditure, together with the two Managing Authorities. • The Steering Committee will assess project bids and will make the award of grants to the local authorities.

11. Selection Criteria • Actions will be selected on the basis of a detailed specification and criteria to be prepared for the investment programme.  These criteria will take account of, inter alia, the following key criteria: • Coherence with the integrated strategy submitted, including the strategic fit with national, regional and local plans and individual Urban Centre Strategies. • Quality of the selected proposal(s) in terms of social inclusion and contribution to economic development of urban centre, universal design and environmental sustainability, • Social and Economic benefits that the proposal will bring to the community and to the urban centre concerned over-and-above what is there already in terms of employment and sustainable economic development. • Value for money of the proposed actions to be supported and the expected leverage effect of additional public and private funding • Inclusiveness of the consultative process undertaken in the development of the integrated strategy and the prioritization of project actions, in terms of council and community buy-in. • Delivery arrangements including project management arrangements, milestones, targets, deadlines and outcomes.

12. Types of Eligible Actions • Investment Priority 6e - Taking action to improve the urban environment, to revitalise cities, regenerate and decontaminate brownfield sites (including conversion areas), reduce air pollution and promote noise-reduction measures • It will support integrated urban regeneration initiatives to improve the urban environment and revitalise urban areas. • Sustainable integrated urban development measures supported will focus on the efficient use of existing resources within the urban environment hence reduce the pressure for the centre to ‘spread’ outwards and lead to further land degradation. • The actions to be supported could include: • Green regeneration, physical enhancements and social revitalisation including open public/community spaces; • Rehabilitation of brownfield sites including renewal of existing and/or demolition and construction of new buildings and landscaping; and • Rehabilitation/development of cultural infrastructure/assets.

13. Types of Eligible Actions cont./ • Investment Priority 4e - Promoting low-carbon strategies for all types of territories, in particular for urban areas, including the promotion of sustainable multimodal urban mobility and mitigation-relevant adaptation measures. • This investment priority will support sustainable urban mobility initiatives, consistent with Ireland’s Smarter Travel policy. • The multimodal actions to be supported could include a number of the following: • Pedestrianisation; • installation and extension of a network of cycle lanes; • installation and extension of bus lanes. • reduction in short-distance car journeys through the introduction of good quality travel information and alternative infrastructure, and • Improved walking and cycling access to public transport

14. Next Steps – Indicative Timetable • Steering Committee to be formally established • SC to agree on Terms of Reference for Call for Proposals, including scale of funding to be made available • First call to be launched by end Q1 or early Q2 • Projects selected and award of grants made by summer • Projects to commence in Q3, 2015 and run for a number of years.

15. Contact Details • Southern Regional Assembly – www.southernassembly.ie • Northern & Western Regional Assembly – www.nwra.ie • ANY QUESTIONS?