Kinnegad and Fore projects get €250k boost

One hundred thousand euro has been allocated to Kinnegad and almost €160,000 to Fore under the government's Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

The €100,000 for Kinnegad will be used to give the town's Main Street a facelift, while the €160,00 for Fore will go towards a number of projects, including creating a "community space" in the village.

The funding allocation has been welcomed by local Ministers of State Peter Burke and Robert Troy, who say that the government is committed to breeding life back into rural towns and villages.

“It's fantastic to announce that €100,000 has been allocated by Minister Heather Humphreys for Kinnegad, our gateway town for Westmeath. The funding will go towards overhauling and adding to the appearance and accessibility of the Main Street in Kinnegad with seating, facades, disability access, river park connectivity, floral displays and signage all included,” says Minister Burke.

“Improving where we all live and bring Our Rural Futur to the streets of Westmeath. With thanks to my colleague Minister Heather Humphreys, funded by Town and Village Renewal Scheme as part of Our Rural Future.

“Also, €157,231 allocated to Fore to add to the fantastic amenity and community space in the village.

“This fits in well with her Town Centre First Strategy of breeding new life back into our towns and villages creating opportunities for people to work live and enjoy their community," he said.

Minister of State Troy said:

“This is a further sign of the government's continued investment in our rural towns and villages and comes on the back of other investment in these area. The regeneration plans for Kinnegad are very exciting, the town will benefit from a great level of improvement works in the coming period and the funding of €100,000 announced today will certainly be a great help with these plans.

"Fore continues to grow as a heritage and tourism centre for the County through the great work of the local committee involved. This funding will add a very important element to the attractive offering already available in the village. I also believe that the recent announcement of a single tourism brand for Westmeath will aid greatly in the marketing of Fore and all of the other unique sites which we have on our doorstep," he said.