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Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys today (Wednesday, 19 April) visited Longford to officially open The Yard Hub.
The €1.1 million project, delivered under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), has transformed a number of buildings along the Royal Canal Greenway which have been derelict for many years.
The new development provides space for local enterprises and workers alongside hot desk facilities, and public realm upgrades including a courtyard area.
The project received over €800,000 under the RRDF. A further €280,000 was provided by Longford County Council to complete the project.
Speaking at the official opening of The Yard today, Minister Humphreys said:
“I would like to congratulate Longford County Council and the project partners in delivering this fantastic project, which I am sure will be a huge boost for local workers and businesses. By bringing these derelict buildings in Abbeyshrule back into active use, this project is breathing new life into the area while addressing a clear need for the village. As well as the economic and social opportunities this project will bring, it will also add greatly to the town’s tourism offering. These renovated buildings, with beautifully restored stone facades, now provide a positive first impression of Abbeyshrule for visitors along the Royal Canal Greenway.”
While in Longford, the Minister also visited a number of other rural development projects. The Minister started her day in Longford Town where she visited the Irish Wheelchair Association. Here she viewed a new wheelchair bus that was funded under the CLÁR programme. The Minister then travelled to Cullyfad where she opened a new playground that was also funded under CLÁR.
The Minister then travelled to Newtownforbes, where she opened the Newtownforbes Heritage and Biodiversity Trail. This project was supported by €200,000 in funding under the department’s Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme.
The Minister completed her engagements by opening the Ardagh Remote Working Hub. This project received funding under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.
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. Almost €25 million has been invested in 214 projects in County Longford under RRDF, TVRS, ORIS and CLAR since 2016.
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in villages and villages and rural areas across Ireland. In total the Fund has now provided over €395 million for 215 projects across Ireland, worth a total of €542 million.
In relation to projects in County Longford, the Fund has provided €13.2 million for 6 projects located in Longford worth a total of €16.5 million.
The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is one of a series of measures designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland, as part of Our Rural Future, the government’s policy for rural Ireland.
Our rural towns and villages are a vital part of the fabric of our lives. The past couple of years has shown us, more than ever, how much we rely on our local towns and our communities, and has rekindled our sense of pride in where we live.
Since the introduction of the Scheme in 2016 over €149 million has been approved for more than 1,600 projects across the country, where just under €4 million of this funding has been dedicated to 57 projects in Co. Longford.
The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) provides funding for development, extensions and repair of trails, walkways, cycleways and blueways; improved access to outdoor leisure or recreational facilities and the development of outdoor recreational infrastructure as follows:
Funding of up to 90% of the total approved project costs is awarded, with the additional 10% to be provided from other sources.
In total, €106 million has been allocated under ORIS to support 1,505 projects across Ireland, since the programme’s launch in 2016. This includes an allocation of over €4.6 million to support 56 projects in County Longford.
The CLÁR programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas that have experienced significant levels of de-population over a defined period.
Under the CLÁR 2022 programme, funding of over €12 million was approved for almost 300 projects. The measures funded were:
Measures for 2023 were announced in March of 2023 and remain the same as those announced in 2022. In the case of Measure 2 Mobility, Cancer Care and Community First Responders Transport up to 90% of the cost of an electric or hybrid vehicle may be granted and 80% for a petrol or Diesel Vehicle.
In total, over €57 million has been allocated under CLAR to support 2,077 projects across Ireland, since the programme’s relaunch in 2016. This includes an allocation of over €2.7 million to support 95 projects in County Longford.