€20m in funding for rural towns and villages

FUNDING to the tune of €20 million for rural towns and villages as part of the Action Plan for Rural Development has been announced today by Michael Ring, Minister of State for Regional Economic Development, and the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys.

Up to 300 towns and villages will benefit from funding under the 2017 Town and Village Renewal Scheme, which will be made available through local authorities over the next 15 months to support rural regeneration.

The scheme is specifically targeted at rural towns and villages with populations of less than 10,000. Applications from towns can range from €20,000 to a maximum of €100,000.

Funding of up to €200,000 will also be considered for a limited number of projects which can deliver exceptionally strong economic benefit to a town and its outlying areas.

Said Minister Ring: “I warmly welcome the launch of the 2017 Town and Village Renewal Scheme which will provide further significant support to rural Ireland, following on from the 2017 CLÁR programme and the Tidy Towns competition, which I launched recently.

The scheme will again be administered through the local authorities, who will be required to work closely with local businesses and local communities to develop and implement ideas that can make a real and sustainable impact in revitalising rural towns and villages across the country. Successful town and village revival is most likely to be achieved where there is close partnership between the community, public and private sectors.”

This year’s scheme will place an emphasis on measures which have a clear economic impact on rural towns and villages. Some funding will also be available for art works in public spaces which reflect the culture of a town or region and involve participation by local artists, said Minister Humphreys

Local authorities will be required to advertise for expressions of interest from towns/villages in their area before the end of April and will select up to 15 proposals for development into detailed applications to be submitted to the department by the end of June.

The final project selection will be made in July by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Successful projects will be expected to commence immediately and can run up to mid-2018.