Chapter 3: Placemaking, Regeneration & Urban Living

One of the policy objectives highlighted in this chapter is “PM 2 Regeneration: To prioritise projects and proposals which will result in both social and economic rejuvenation and regeneration within towns and villages. The Council will leverage the variety of funds available including LIHAF, Urban and Rural Regeneration and Development Funds, Climate Activation Fund and Disruptive Technologies Fund in pursuance of this objective.” These funds are important to support regeneration but the development plan should also recognise and support the importance of citizen-led and social financing opportunities in this area.

Proposed amendment or inclusion:

1. The Galway County Development Plan should support new and innovative social finance initiatives to give power to local communities and shift the balance of power away from central sources of finance and towards citizen-led action.
2. In 2017, South Dublin County Council’s Participatory Budget initiative, the first in Ireland, allowed citizens to vote for projects designed and submitted by citizens. An additional EUR 300,000 was provided specifically for this purpose. Citizens took part in facilitated workshops to generate ideas, identify community needs, and develop supportive networks. More details can be found here: http://www.sdublincoco.ie/Media/Item/41961
3. Community shares are a way to raise money by offering communities a chance to own shares in a local organisation. They are usually about more than just profit and work best for people who want to get involved and support a cause or a project that they really care about. They are particularly useful in rural areas and issued to support the community to take over a vacant building or ensure a local pub is not closed. https://communitysharesscotland.org.uk/
4. The community right to buy abandoned, neglected or detrimental land came into force in Scotland on 27 June 2018. It gives community bodies a right to compulsorily purchase land (and by land they mean land, bridges and other structures built on or over land, inland waters, canals and the foreshore) which is wholly or mainly, abandoned or neglected or the use or management of the land is causing harm to the environmental wellbeing of the community. In 2020, this act was updated to provide the opportunity for communities across Scotland to apply for a compulsory right to buy at market value for the purpose of sustainable development. While it is recognised that this is a complex process that goes beyond the remit of Galway County Council and the current development plan it is included in this feedback to highlight depth of change that will be necessary to achieve whole-scale sustainable development.

Rationale:

Relying solely on external funding from central government can delay regeneration and placemaking efforts across the county. Taking a citizen-led and proactive approach to financing and public participation can open up new opportunities and actively involve citizens in the process of building communities.