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The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, has officially opened a number of projects in North Cork which have received funding from her department.
All of the projects opened, as part of the Minister’s visit, received investment under the government’s ambitious rural development policy, Our Rural Future.
The Minister’s visit began with the official opening of the redevelopment of Island Wood Trail which received funding under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme.
Next stop was in Kanturk for the opening of Kanturk Town Park Playground and the turning of the sod on the Kanturk Urban Walkway.
The Minister then went on to Lombardstown where she officially opened the new Tennis club and the Gortroe to Lombardstown Walkway.
The new facilities will be used to engage young people locally and also allow people with disabilities to play wheelchair tennis.
The Lombardstown Walkway aims to link the villages of Gortroe and Lombardstown The route has become extremely popular in the last few years, especially during the pandemic.
Speaking at the site of the Lombardstown walkway, Minister Humphreys said:
“A big part of our policy is supporting outdoor projects – projects that will bring families, friends and communities together like this walkway. This is exactly the kind of locally led-project that I want to see replicated right across rural Ireland. It will not only enhance the social capital of a community but also improve the quality of life of the people of all ages.”
Later in the afternoon were openings at Dromahane Community Park, and Lover’s Leap and Mallow Castle Walkway Bridge.
Then there was a ‘turning-of-the-sod’ for upgrade works at Barnane Walking Trail in Fermoy and the launch of the Ballindangan Broadband Connection Point.
Speaking in Ballindangan the Minister said:
“Today, Ballindangan joins a national network of Broadband Connection Points that will grow this year to 300 sites. That’s 300 community spaces that will make on-site high-speed broadband services available for local people and visitors alike. When the project is completed, Cork will have 25 live BCPs - the highest amount of any county in the Connected Communities Initiative. This shows the desire within Cork to take full advantage of the benefits that connectivity brings to its citizens.”
The final stop was a visit to Mitchelstown to see the site of a new Enterprise Hub which was recently awarded €500,000 under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.
Works consisted of widening of existing forest trails, drainage works to eliminate flooding on pathways, the installation of a new map board in the carpark, installation of picnic tables, improvements to the trails and upgrade of the carpark.
The project has bought the playground up to a modern standard and futureproofed the town park for new generations of local children and visiting families to the area.
This project will deliver Enhanced pedestrian access and connectivity between Kanturk Town centre, Kanturk Castle and the local business district.
Lombardstown Tennis Club were set up to promote Tennis in Lombardstown and its surrounding hinterland. The group also provide wheelchair tennis.
This project involved removing the existing roadside boundary consisting of a sod boundary with Hedgerow and trees, and the construction a footpath with grass verges, with a post and rail fence.
This project involved the installation of a playground at Dromahane Community Field, Dromahane Mallow.
The project involves the development of a 600m walking trail along the River Blackwater from existing waking and bicycle paths in Mallow Town Park to Lovers Leap Woods complete with a new pedestrian bridge. The second part of the funding is for the upgrade and improvement to the existing trails at the Nagle Mountains adjacent to Killavullen Village and also to other trails emulating from the village to the surrounding rural area, creating a trail head at the local GAA grounds.
Upgrade and repair of the Barnane Trail Walk and Glenabo Trail.
This project will develop an Enterprise Hub, featuring hot desks, own door offices and a meeting room in the Library Building of Mitchelstown, Co Cork.
Ballindangan was one of 17 villages in Co Cork to receive funding for ICT equipment and furniture for their BCP.
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.
The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) provides funding for the development of new outdoor recreational infrastructure. It also provides support for the necessary repair, maintenance, enhancement or promotion of existing outdoor recreational infrastructure in rural areas across Ireland. ORIS provides funding for the development of new and existing outdoor recreational infrastructure in rural areas. It funds trails, cycleways, blueways, bridleways, outdoor amenities located near rivers, lakes and beaches.
The Town and Village Renewal Scheme provides funding for projects that make our towns and villages more attractive and sustainable. Since the launch of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme in 2016, almost €113 million has been allocated to more than 1,400 projects across Ireland.