CALL FOR ‘LIVING CITY’ INITIATIVE
DROGHEDA councillors have agreed to write to the Minister of Finance asking that The Living City Initiative be extended to Drogheda.
The issue was raised in a notice of motion by Councillor Pio Smith at the May meeting of Drogheda Municipal District.
He called on the council to arrange a meeting with the Minister of Finance with a view to outlining the benefits of having The Living City initiative extended to the town.
The initiative is a targeted pilot tax incentive which aims to seek to encourage people back to the centre of Irish cities to live in historic buildings and to encourage the regeneration of the retail heartland of central business districts.
The initiative will provide tax incentives for works performed to refurbish residential and retail buildings either to bring them up to a habitable standard or to make improvements to buildings which are currently inhabited.
The incentives will be targeted at owner/occupiers rather than property developers, Cllr Smith said.
‘It is making a big difference to cities like Cork and Kilkenny. When you consider Kilkenny has a smaller population than Drogheda it is something that should really be considered.
‘If you look at the catchment area of Drogheda, the size of Drogheda and the way it is expanding plus the level of dereliction in the town centre this is an ideal initiative for the town.’
Supporting the motion, Councillor Kevin Callan said the council should look at CPOing buildings in the town centre to provide accommodation for people with disabilities and older people who have difficulty accessing the town centre.
Councillor Richie Culhane said that when he came to town more than three decades ago as a young garda the town centre would be buzzing in the morning with people coming out from their flats and making their way to work in places like Lyons bakery.