From Department of Rural and Community Development
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Michael Ring TD, Minister for Rural and Community Development, today (Friday) announced details of a further €1.6 million to 51 rural communities to provide safety measures, play areas and multi-use games areas for schools and communities under the CLÁR Programme 2018.
Today’s funding comes on top of €7.5 million for 240 projects of this nature approved earlier this year, bringing to €9.1 million the total investment in these facilities under the CLÁR Programme in 2018.
Minister Ring said:
“By supporting improved safety around schools and other community facilities, and providing play areas in disadvantaged rural areas, CLÁR funding is helping to make these areas more attractive places for families to live and to settle in. We have now supported over 290 projects in communities around Ireland this year under the CLÁR Programme.
“The CLÁR Programme demonstrates that relatively small amounts of investment in rural communities can make a big difference to improving the quality of life for the people who live in those communities.
“Earlier this year, I visited a playground in Rathdangan in rural west Wicklow which has become a valued and highly popular amenity for local families. And in the village of Mayo Abbey, traffic calming measures installed beside the national school have made the area safer and given peace of mind to local parents. This is a small sample of the more than 1,200 projects that have been supported by CLÁR funding since I re-introduced the scheme in 2016.”
Projects supported by CLÁR funding to date include:
Minister Ring added:
“These projects are excellent examples of what can be done when everyone works together at community level, resulting in new or improved resources in rural areas.
“Communities themselves have fundraised and worked with their Local Authorities to put forward projects for funding and this is why I decided to revisit the applications that my Department received earlier this year, to see if any further projects had progressed to a level where they could now be approved. I’m pleased to announce that an extra 51 projects can be approved for funding, having demonstrated that they have met all of the requirements of the programme.”
ENDS
The CLÁR Programme is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and forms part of the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development.
The 2018 CLÁR Programme is providing funding under four different Measures:
A total 240 of projects were approved for funding of €7.5 million earlier in the year under Measures 1 and 2, while funding of €1.2 million was provided to 40 First Responder organisations under Measure 3.
An additional 51 projects have now demonstrated that they meet all of the requirements under Measures 1 and 2 of the programme and are being approved for funding of €1.6 million. Details of the successful projects under Measures 1, 2 and 3 are published on the website of the Department of Rural and Community Development. The further approvals under Measures 1 and 2 will be published on the website when the Department has notified Local Authorities of their successful applications. Measure 4 remains open for applications until Friday 31 August.