Our Rural Future: Minister Calleary launches 2025 Town and Village Renewal Scheme

• fund available to stimulate town centre economic and social regeneration and resilience
• a focus on tackling vacancy and dereliction to bring additional footfall into town centres
• funding for the pre-development costs associated with projects to help communities develop applications for future funding calls
• funding of up to €500,000 per local authority for the acquisition of vacant or derelict buildings or lands for town regeneration purposes

Minister for Rural and Community Development Dara Calleary has today (Wednesday 19 March) launched the 2025 Town and Village Renewal Scheme which is designed to support the revitalisation of rural Ireland and to build greater resilience in to our town centres through regeneration projects.

This year’s Call For Proposals will allow one additional application for one larger scale project (up to €300,000 category) for those local authorities with an inhabited offshore island and/or Gaeltacht areas.

The Fund will support projects throughout Ireland with a focus on stimulating town centre economic and social regeneration through sustainable employment creation.

Launching the 2025 Scheme, Minister Calleary said:

Three funding streams are available under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme; the Main Scheme, the Project Development Measure and the Building or Land Acquisition Measure.

Projects will align with the objectives of the government policies Our Rural Future, Town Centre First and Our Living Islands with a focus on:

• driving town centre regeneration;
• supporting town or village centre plaza development;
• development of green spaces or recreational amenities in town or village centres;
• the enhancement of our streetscapes;
• supporting town or village centre markets;
• upgrading or refurbishing community centres;
• bring vacant and derelict buildings back into use as multi-purpose community spaces;
• supporting vibrant and sustainable Gaeltacht communities and island communities on Ireland’s inhabited offshore islands

The Minister continued:

Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS)

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) provides funding for projects that make our towns and villages more attractive and sustainable.

Since the launch of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, over €177 million has been allocated to almost 1,800 projects. The Scheme has made an important contribution to supporting vibrant and sustainable communities in towns and villages throughout Ireland.

The Scheme is administered through the local authorities, who are required to work closely with local communities and local businesses to develop and implement proposals. The Scheme typically funds rural towns and villages with a population of up to 10,000 people. Larger rural towns with a population of up to 15,000 people may be eligible where the application is particularly strong and the project will have a significant impact on the town in question.

Applications

The closing date for the submission of applications under the TVRS Building and Land Acquisition Measure is 2 May 2025 and for the Main Scheme and Project Development Measure is 25 July 2025.

Each Local Authority is invited to submit applications of varying scale under the 2025 Scheme as follows:

Main scheme

i. 3 applications - funding €50,000 to €300,000 per application

ii. 1 application - funding €50,000 to €500,000 per application

Project Development Measure

i. 2 applications - funding of up to €50,000 per application

Building or Land Acquisition Measure

i. Up to 3 applications - total fund of up to €500,000 per local authority

Types of activities that may be supported under the Main Scheme of the 2025 Town and Village Renewal Scheme include:

• regeneration projects that assist in revitalising and building resilience in our rural towns and villages, in line with the Town Centre First Policy, through planned and sustainable regeneration
• development projects that will drive greater economic activity and footfall, address vacancy and dereliction and ensure the re-use of heritage and other existing buildings
• projects to support vibrant and sustainable Gaeltacht communities and/or island communities on Ireland’s inhabited offshore islands
• upgrade or refurbishment to community centres (where there is a clearly identified need / rationale – an additional questionnaire applies)
• support for the development of remote working facilities. Given the number of hubs supported to date, any application received which includes the establishment of a hub (see Appendix 2 for hub classification guide) must expressly demonstrate a clear demand/need for such a facility and that clear additionality will be delivered - any such applications will be required to provide information in relation to need/demand/additionality and engagement with relevant stakeholders
• projects to support the establishment or regeneration of town or village centre markets (for example: farmers’ markets, open-air markets, local trader markets, artisan markets or similar) – that is, ground works, provision of stalls, equipment, and services provision. Markets must be built on ethical and sustainability principles to ensure longevity and must be developed with high visibility and improved public realm which will attract a high level of footfall
• projects to develop town / village centre plazas, public outdoor dining spaces, parks, green spaces (including allotments and community gardens) and recreational spaces/amenities (to include outdoor sports facilities such as skate parks, basketball courts, tennis courts, etc.) in town centres to make them vibrant hubs for community enjoyment, and to increase footfall for local businesses. Where a proposal includes a plaza, outdoor dining space, amphitheatre or similar, consideration should be given to appropriate public lighting which supports mobility, accessibility, safety and security to ensure the spaces can be used for evening and night time activities. Applications for funding will only be considered where the properties and/or lands are publicly or community owned or leased
• projects to support the upgrade and enhancement of shopfronts and street facades (including murals) in towns and villages. Local authorities are encouraged to engage with local business and property owners to examine how group projects can add colour and vibrancy to main streets
• projects that bring vacant and derelict buildings and sites back into use as multi-purpose spaces. This includes the renovation of vacant and derelict buildings or development of sites within the town or village as multi-purpose community assets. Multi-purpose use includes enterprise spaces, arts, tourism, youth hubs, parks, parklets, allotments, play areas and other community uses
• projects that support and enhance the night-time economy in line with recommendations from the Night-Time Economy Taskforce
• enhancement of heritage assets (for example, local museums/tourism attractions focused on historical aspects of the area, heritage sites/buildings) located in towns and villages, including energy efficiency measures

Full details of the scheme are available.

Our Rural Future

Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It offers a blueprint for a thriving and inclusive rural Irelands and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas.

Town Centre First

Town Centre First contains 33 unique actions which will give our towns the tools and resources they need to become more viable and attractive places in which to live, work, visit and run a business. Town Regeneration Officers in all relevant Local Authority areas are being funded by DRCD to drive forward Town Centre First on a local level.