Press release
Minister Humphreys announces funding for seven projects under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
Heather Humphreys TD, Minister for Rural and Community Development, has today (Wednesday, 5th August) announced the allocation of €5.5 million in funding to seven projects under the €1 billion Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.
This is the second and final announcement of successful projects arising from the latest Category 2 call.
On 25th June 2020, €13 million in Government funding was announced for 24 projects.
The successful projects announced today are:
Announcing the successful projects today, Minister Humphreys said:
“The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund has already established itself as a key driver of economic and social progress in rural Ireland. I view the Fund as an invaluable resource, providing the targeted, large-scale investment necessary to drive economic recovery and sustainable development in rural areas facing the challenges arising from the COVID-19 crisis.
The projects I am announcing today and the projects already being delivered with the assistance of the Fund are supporting communities and businesses across the country, providing a cash injection which is boosting economic activity in many of the areas and regions most in need of it.
This Fund has now made available over €166 million in funding for projects worth a combined total of €237 million. I am convinced that these projects are laying the foundations for economic and social progress in rural Ireland for many years to come, allowing rural communities to position themselves to take advantage of the opportunities which will emerge as recovery continues.”
The Fund is part of the Department of Rural and Community Development’s Rural Development Investment Programme which is funded under Project Ireland 2040. The Fund is providing €1 billion in investment over 10 years to support the regeneration and development of rural town, villages and outlying areas. Initial funding of €315 million was allocated on a phased basis over the period 2019 to 2022. To date, the Fund has now provided €166 million for 139 projects across Ireland, worth a total of €237 million.
Today’s announcement relates to Category 2 of the Fund, which provides seed capital funding for strategic, large-scale projects which will assist in delivering town and village regeneration and contribute to economic development and recovery. Category 2 seeks to provide a ready-made pipeline of projects which can be progressed in the future with the support of the Fund or other funding streams. The funding provided today will allow for further development of the projects to take place enabling them to be developed to a high standard and be ready to commence works in the future. The applications for funding were subjected to a comprehensive assessment process by the Department, with oversight provided by an independent Project Advisory Board, made up of representatives drawn from key Government Departments along with external independent experts.
Announcing the successful projects today, Minister Humphreys said:
“I believe that the projects I am announcing today will prepare the way for exciting, innovative and productive interventions in the areas which will benefit. The funding provided will allow projects to be developed to the point that they are ready for construction, assisting with the often significant costs associated with bringing ambitious projects of this type to full readiness. ”
Minister Humphreys was speaking today during a visit to Boyle, Co. Roscommon, where she visited the site of the vacant Royal Hotel which will shortly be re-developed as an enterprise hub and remote-working facility with the support of the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.
The Minister also visited the new Boyle-Lough Key Cycle Corridor, supported by Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, also part of her Department’s Rural Development Investment Programme. These and many other projects in Boyle town centre are the product of Boyle 2040 , an ambitious and comprehensive framework for the social and economic regeneration of the town core, delivered by Roscommon County Council and Boyle Town Team.
The Minister commented:
“The plans for the regeneration of Boyle are a superb example of collaborative, joined-up thinking in a town planning context, taking account of all the opportunities and challenges faced by the town. I am excited by the development taking place here, which has enjoyed the support of the range of schemes in my Department’s Rural Investment Programme.
Projects such as the refurbishment of the Royal Hotel as new enterprise and remote working facilities in the centre of the town are seeking to build upon some of the opportunities emerging from this crisis and reinforce the reputation of the West as a natural base for entrepreneurs, start-ups and ambitious companies”.
The Minister also highlighted that the third call for Category 1 proposals under the Fund is now open, seeking ambitious, shovel-ready projects which will support the drive for economic recovery and deliver sustainable regeneration and development in rural towns and villages.
Further details of the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund are available on the Department of Rural and Community Development website gov.ie .
Second Call – Category 2
List of Successful Projects – August 2020
| Project Title | Location | County | Lead Party | Project Cost | RRDF Funding |
| Cahersiveen Town Centre Regeneration Project | Carhersiveen | Kerry | Kerry County Council | €1,333,333.00 | €1,000,000.00 |
| Kildare Town Renewal Plan | Kildare Town | Kildare | Kildare County Council | €2,569,848.00 | €1,752,706.00 |
| Dereliction and re-use for housing development in the core of towns and villages in rural Limerick | Multiple | Limerick | Limerick and City Council | €1,333,333.00 | €1,000,000.00 |
| Athboy Town Centre | Athboy | Meath Meath County Council | €811,000.00 | €608,250.00 | |
| Public Realm Enhancement of County Sligo tourist villages of Strandhill and Rosses Point | Strandhill Rosses Point | Sligo | Sligo County Council | €270,000.00 | €202,000.00 |
| A Pathway to Regeneration of Cahir Town Centre | Cahir Town | Tipperary | Tipperary County Council | €842,987.00 | €632,987.00 |
| Placemaking for Newmountkennedy | Newmountkennedy | Wicklow | Wicklow County Council | €477,000.00 | €357,750.00 |
| Total | €7,637,501.00 | €5,553,693.00 |
Category 2
List of Successful Projects - June 2020
| Description | Location | County | Lead Party | Project Cost | RRDF Funding |
| Kingscourt Town Centre Regeneration | Kingscourt | Cavan | Cavan County Council | €1,050,000.00 | €787,500.00 |
| Regeneration of Town Centre and the Development of a future vision for the disused former Courthouse | Youghal | Cork | Cork County Council | €375,000.00 | €281,250.00 |
| Development of a Georgian Cultural/Heritage Quarter for Mitchelstown | Mitchelstown | Cork | Cork County Council | €360,000.00 | €270,000.00 |
| Ballyshannon 2040 - Back to Ballyshannon | Ballyshannon | Donegal | Donegal County Council | €247,500.00 | €185,625.00 |
| Ramelton Historic Town Centre - A Restorative and Transformational Public Realm Scheme | Ramelton | Donegal | Donegal County Council | €249,159.00 | €186,869.00 |
| Clifden Town Centre | Clifden | Galway | Galway County Council | €1,056,040.00 | €792,030.00 |
| Portumna Vision 2030 | Portumna | Galway | Galway County Council | €1,590,473.00 | €1,192,855.00 |
| Caherviveen Town Centre Regerenation Project | Carhersiveen | Kerry | Kerry County Council | €1,408,506.00 | €1,056,380.00 |
| Athy Food, Skills and Drinks Hub | Athy | Kildare | Kildare County Council | €635,000.00 | €476,250.00 |
| Carrick on Shannon to Battlebridge Blueway | Carrick on Shannon | Leitrim | Leitrim County Council | €634,711.00 | €476,033.00 |
| Dereliction and re-use for housing development in the core of towns and villages in rural Limerick | Newcastle West, Rathkeale, Abbeyfeale, Askeaton, Ardagh, Kilmalloock, Croom, Bruff, Kilfinane, Ballingarry | Limerick | Limerick City and County Council | €2,000,000.00 | €1,500,000.00 |
| Enhancement of Attractiveness of Lanesborough as a Tourism Destination | Lanesborough | Longford | Longford County Council | €625,000.00 | €468,750.00 |
| Living in Carlingford-Visiting in Carlingford. A strategy for sustainable tourism in Carlingford | Carlingford | Louth | Louth County Council | €947,973.34 | €710,980.00 |
| Newport Regeneration Project | Newport | Mayo | Mayo County Council | €474,352.00 | €355,764.00 |
| Ballyhaunis Community Vision | Ballyhaunis | Mayo | Mayo County Council | €224,470.00 | €168,352.00 |
| Castleblayney Market Square Regeneration Phase 2 | Castleblayney | Monaghan | Monaghan County Council | €380,000.00 | €295,000.00 |
| The Beara Breifne Way | Multiple | West Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Offaly, Galway, Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim & Cavan | Fáilte Ireland | €400,000.00 | €300,000.00 |
| Banagher Regeneration Projects | Banagher | Offaly | Offaly County Council | €527,000.00 | €395,250.00 |
| Ballaghdereen Public Realm Enhancement | Ballaghaderreen | Roscommon | Roscommon County Council | €578,680.00 | €434,010.00 |
| Tubbercurry Regeneration Project 2020 | Tubercurry | Sligo | Sligo County Council | €296,000.00 | €222,000.00 |
| Nenagh Historic and Cultural Quarter - A Tourism Led Regeneration Plan | Nenagh | Tipperary | Tipperary County Council | €866,712.00 | €650,034.00 |
| C2.2P26 Carrick-on-Suir Regeneration Plan | Carrick-on-Suir | Tipperary | Tipperary County Council | €487,500.00 | €365,625.00 |
| C2.2P45 Cappoquin Town - Regeneration and Renewal | Cappoquin | Waterford | Waterford County Council | €1,610,000.00 | €1,207,500.00 |
| C2.2P68 Castlepollard Regeneration | Castlepollard | Westmeath | Westmeath County Council | €415,000.00 | €311,250.00 |
| Total | €17,439,076.34 | €13,089,307.00 |
Contact:
The Department of Rural and Community Development Press Office
076-1006993 / 086 7912704
Press.office@drcd.gov.ie
Rural Development Investment Programme
The Department of Rural and Community Development’s Rural Development Investment Programme includes a number of integrated funding interventions:
The Department’s total funding allocation for 2020 for the Rural Development Investment Programme is €149.7 million.
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund was established to deliver on the National Strategic Objective in the National Development Plan 2018-2027 of Strengthened Rural Economies and Communities and will be rolled out over a 10-year period. The Fund is administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development.
The Fund provides investment to support suitable projects in towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000, and outlying areas, which will deliver on the National Strategic Objective of Strengthened Rural Economies and Communities and achieve sustainable economic and social development in these areas. Initial funding of €315 million has been allocated to the fund on a phased basis over the period 2019 to 2022.
Calls for applications to the Fund are sought under two categories. Category 1 relates to projects with all necessary planning and other consents in place and which are ready to proceed, while Category 2 projects are those which required further development to become ready for Category 1 status. The successful projects being announced today relate to Category 2.
The first call for applications to the Fund closed in September 2018. Arising from the first call, 38 successful Category 1 projects and 46 Category 2 projects were announced, with funding of €86m provided from the Fund to support projects worth €117m.
The second call for Category 1 applications for the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund closed in August 2019. Arising from this call, 26 projects were approved for funding of €62 million to support projects costing €95 million.
The second call for Category 2 applications closed in February 2020. 24 successful projects were allocated funding of €13 million to support projects worth a total of €17 million in June 2020.
Today’s announcement relates to a further announcement of successful Category 2 projects. Seven projects have been allocated funding of €5.5 million for projects worth over €7 million. This includes five new projects and additional funding for two projects that were allocated funding in the first announcement.
To date, the Fund has now provided €166 million for 139 projects across Ireland, worth a total of €237 million.
The third call for Category 1 applications was launched on 19th June 2020. The deadline for completed applications under this call is 12 noon on 1st December 2020. The Department has produced a guidance document, which can be accessed on our website, for those seeking more information on the third call for Category 1 call applications from the Fund. In addition, the Department is also planning information and discussion opportunities for stakeholders relating to this call for applications.