Six rural towns and villages to benefit from funding of €700k

Six small towns and villages around Westmeath are to benefit from €700,000 in funding under the Town and Village Renewal scheme.

Castletown Geoghegan, Ballinagore, Collinstown, Clonmellon, Moate and Ballinahown will gain from the scheme which aims to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland.

Castletown Geoghegan will receive €100,000 towards improving the public realm area through the creation of a pedestrian civic area, installation of street furniture, signage, lighting and landscaping.

Similarly, in Ballinagore, €100,000 in funding will go towards new footpaths, public lighting upgrade and a new drainage system.

Collinstown will be rendered “Age Friendly” through €100,000 of investment, which will see an upgrade to signage, street furniture and to road markings.

There's €100,000 for Clonmellon to enhance the public realm by upgrading signage, street furniture, new road markings, upgrade footpaths and improve parking.

Meanwhile in Moate, there has been €200,000 investment to continue Phase 1 of the Streetscape Enhancement Plan which will provide a fresh new appearance to the town. There's another €100,000 for the upgrade of Ballinahown.

Deputy Peter Burke has welcomed the news which was announced by Minister Michael Ring.

“This funding is especially welcome news for residents of Castletown Geoghegan, Moate, Ballinagore, Ballinahown, Collinstown and Clonmellon. This is further commitment to rural Ireland by Minister Michael Ring and the government, and each project has received a significant sum for each project," Dep Burke began.

“These are all excellent initiatives and locals will see how this investment will make a big difference to the appearance of our small towns and villages.

"We need to ensure our smaller towns and villages are more attractive and sustainable places in which to live and work. These works will improve safety for all age groups as well as giving our villages an improved appearance. Rural Westmeath is a fantastic place to live and rear families, and this investment is a way of giving back to our community groups who work so hard to keep our towns looking so well from year to year.

Minister for Rural and Community Development Michael Ring said interest in the Town and Village Renewal Scheme was very high again this year.

"It was not possible to fund all of the applications received, but I am pleased that many of the towns and villages which have been successful this year are receiving funding under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme for the first time.

“I want to thank the Local Authorities for engaging with local communities in these instances to help them to identify good projects which have merited support.

“The Government’s commitment to supporting rural Ireland is further underscored through the €1 billion Project Ireland 2040 Rural Regeneration and Development Fund which complements the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and provides an opportunity to deliver more integrated and ambitious projects which will further support the revitalisation of our rural towns and villages.”

The scheme is part of a suite of national and local support measures to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. It is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and is administered by the Local Authorities.

Under the 2019 scheme, up to 80% of the total cost for each approved project will be provided by the Department, with the remaining 20% being provided either through community contribution and/or the Local Authority.

A wide variety of projects have been approved under the 2019 scheme. These projects have been identified by local community groups and businesses, in conjunction with their Local Authorities.

Projects approved range from public realm enhancements to re-purposing of community buildings and other measures aimed at making small towns and villages more attractive and more sustainable places in which to live and work.

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme was launched in the second half of 2016 and since then, more than 830 projects have been approved for funding of €68 million, including those announced today.

The Action Plan for Rural Development, which was published in January 2017, included a target to support over 600 towns and villages through the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. This target has been surpassed, with more than 660 projects now approved since January 2017.