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Press release

Minister Humphreys announces second tranche of rural Towns and Villages to receive COVID-19 adaptation supports

  • 120 additional towns and villages to benefit from €3.3 million
  • Funding to help communities shop, socialise and work safely during COVID-19
  • 226 projects have now benefited from Town and Village Renewal Scheme since July

The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has today announced details of the projects that have been approved for funding under the second round of the enhanced Town and Village Renewal Scheme that supports towns and villages to respond and adapt to COVID-19.

The focus of the funding is on measures and interventions that help towns and villages to adapt to social distancing requirements and to provide safe environments that encourage people into towns and villages to shop and socialise.

In the latest allocation of funding by Minister Humphreys, €3.3 million has been approved for 120 projects countrywide.

This is in addition to the €2.8 million that was announced under Round 1 of the scheme in August.

Examples of the successful projects being funded under the latest allocations include:

  • Cavan: Creation of outdoor meeting and event space at Ballyconnell Market Square;
  • Cork: Purchase of stage and amplification equipment for hosting medium scale events and concerts in West Cork;
  • Donegal: Establishment of outdoor food market in Donegal town;
  • Laois: Converting car parking spaces into outdoor spaces (parklets) for public seating and dining, as well as the enhancement of other central areas in Stradbally with landscaping and street furniture;
  • Tipperary: Repurposing eight community buildings throughout the county to facilitate Broadband Connection Points and remote working.
  • Mayo: The creation of three covered outdoor spaces for community based exercise classes and other community events in Belmullet and Westport.

Speaking today, Minister Humphreys said:

“I’m delighted to announce a second round of funding for projects under the enhanced Town and Village Renewal Scheme. The challenges of recent months have highlighted the central role that our towns and villages play in the lives of people in rural areas. They are where we live, work, shop and socialise.

“The impact of COVID-19 has brought changes to all of our daily lives, but the projects I am approving today will assist rural towns and villages to adapt to those changes. It is important that we make our towns and villages as welcoming as possible and that we provide the infrastructure to allow people to engage with local shops and services, and with each other, in a safe manner at this time.

“The €3.3 million in funding which I am allocating today to 120 towns and villages is for projects that can be delivered quickly and which will encourage people into our towns and villages, and giving them the confidence to spend more time there. Today’s funding is in addition to an allocation of €2.8 million made to 106 projects in August and is supported through the Government’s July Stimulus Package.”

The Minister continued:

“Once again the Local Authorities, together with their local communities, have brought forward projects that will help meet the specific needs of their own areas. A wide variety of innovative measures are being supported under this round of funding, including the purchasing of marquees and equipment to facilitate outdoor events and festivals, and the provision of sheltered outdoor meeting spaces.

I’m also pleased to be able to provide support for the fit out of a number of Broadband Connection Points throughout the country, which will be vital for people in remote locations to stay connected or to work remotely.”

Full details of the 120 projects supported under Round 2 are available on the gov.ie website here.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

Town and Village Renewal Scheme 2020

Under the July Stimulus Package, an extra €10 million of funding has been made available to support small towns and villages under the 2020 Town and Village Renewal Scheme. This is in addition to €15 million already ear-marked for the Scheme for 2020. Local Authorities were invited to submit applications under 3 separate rounds of enhanced funding in response to COVID-19 (Accelerated Measure), as well as for the Standard Town and Village Scheme.

The projects approved under Round 1 of the Accelerated Measure were announced on 3rd August and details can be found here.

The list of the 120 towns and villages approved today under Round 2 can be found here.

The closing date for applications under the third (final) round of the Accelerated Measure was 28th August 2020. These applications are currently being assessed by Department officials.

The projects approved will assist businesses/communities in towns and villages to adapt to the specific challenges posed by COVID-19 (for example, social distancing) and to increase footfall and generate economic activity in the short-term. These projects have been identified by local community groups and businesses, in conjunction with their Local Authorities.

They include projects that adapt outdoor spaces for social gatherings, dining or the hosting of outdoor events; marketing campaigns to entice people back into towns and villages; investment in developing or improving the online presence of towns and villages; purchase of marquees and stage equipment to support local festivals/events; and public realm/infrastructural enhancements to allow for social distancing and to make towns/villages more welcoming.