€15 million for economic recovery in rural towns

The Minister for Rural and Community Development has announced details of a €15 million allocation for the Town & Village Renewal Scheme for 2020.

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is one element of a €30 million package of integrated supports that the minister is launching this week as part of his Department’s Rural Development Investment Programme which is funded under Project Ireland 2040. The other elements of the package are the CLÁR Programme which was launched on Monday last, and the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme which will be announced later in the week. 

The Town & Village Renewal Scheme provides funding for projects that support our rural towns and villages to be more attractive and sustainable. This year’s scheme will, in particular, support projects that aid the economic and social recovery of towns and villages in response to Covid-19.
Announcing the funding, Minister Ring said: “I am pleased to announce the launch of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme for 2020 with funding of €15 million. This builds on and complements the funding I announced under the CLÁR programme earlier this week.  The impact of the Town and Village Scheme can be seen in every corner of Ireland, with over 800 projects approved for funding of almost €68 million since 2016.

“Towns and villages are at the heart of economic activity in rural areas and they are also key hubs of social interaction.  As the Covid-19 restrictions are eased in line with the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business, our rural towns and villages will have an important role to play in supporting economic activity and in providing safe spaces for people to meet. This year’s Town and Village Renewal Scheme has therefore been developed to help our towns and villages to bounce back from the impact of Covid-19.

“As has been the case previously, the scheme will provide funding of up to €200,000 for a broad range of strategic proposals to support our towns and villages.  This year, these strategic interventions will place a particular emphasis on the economic and social recovery of our towns and villages.  This might include public realm projects to make our towns and villages more accessible in the context of Covid-19 public health requirements, or supports for projects with a direct economic component such as enterprise hubs or remote working solutions. 

“In addition, I am introducing a new standalone measure under the scheme that will provide accelerated support for towns and villages to adapt to public health requirements such as social distancing in the short term, and to encourage increased footfall in our towns and villages as we re-open society and business.”

 

FULL DETAILS
Full details of the 2020 Town & Village Scheme are available at https://www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/01125e-town-and-village-renewal-scheme/.