Press release
Ministers Humphreys and Joe O’Brien open newly refurbished Community Cultural Centre during visit to Lusk
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys and Minister of State Joe O’Brien have today officially opened the newly refurbished Lusk Community Cultural Centre in County Dublin.
This refurbished Community Cultural Centre in Lusk, Co. Dublin will host a wide range of community activities and exhibitions.
It will also enable organisations and community groups in the area such as cultural and sporting organisations and many more to develop and grow.
The project, which received €500,000 in funding through the LEADER programme, will be used by all local organisations, and bring people together for numerous activities and special events.
Officially opening this extension today, Minister Humphreys said:
“This cultural centre will be a focal point for the people of Lusk and surrounding areas to meet and carry out many community activities that before the refurbishment were not possible. This project is a landmark initiative for the town of Lusk highlighting the importance of redevelopment of derelict sites in the context of Town Centre First. I’m pleased too that this magnificent Community Cultural Centre has enabled the Lusk Community Council to extend its community and cultural services for the rapidly growing and increasingly diverse community of Lusk.
“I am sure that this project will make a great difference to the lives of people from Lusk and surrounding areas for generations to come. It is great to see facilities such as this one being delivered which help enable a range of new community services and initiatives to be promoted. I want to pay tribute to the members of Lusk Community Council CLG for successfully delivering this magnificent facility and I’m very happy that my department was able to support them with an investment of €500,000 under LEADER.”
Also speaking at the opening today, Minister Joe O Brien said:
“I am delighted to be here in my home constituency to attend the opening of Lusk Cultural Centre. I know first-hand the significantly positive impact this amenity will have on those of us living in Lusk and the surrounding areas. I want to congratulate the community here in Lusk and in particular Lusk Community Council for all their hard work in bringing this fantastic amenity back into public use. I have no doubt that this new space will be a great addition for the number of community and voluntary led organisations in the local area."
Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It represents a new milestone in the approach to rural development policy for Ireland and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas.
LEADER, a key intervention of Our Rural Future, is a rural development programme co-funded by the EU, which operates a locally-led, bottom-up, approach to meeting the needs of rural communities and businesses. The programme supports private enterprises and community groups in rural areas.
The programme is based on a community-led approach to rural development and plays an important role in supporting communities and enterprises in progressing job creation, social inclusion and environmental projects at local level.
Funding is currently delivered by 29 Local Action Groups (LAGs) in 28 sub-regional areas. These groups are partnerships of public and private entities from a defined geographical area. LAGs are responsible for local projects in accordance with the Local Development Strategies they develop themselves.
€250 million has been made available for LEADER for the period 2021 to 2027. This is comprised of €70 million for the transitional period 2021 to 2022, which came into effect on 1 April 2021 and an additional €180 million from 2023 to 2027.