From Department of Rural and Community Development
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Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, has officially opened rural projects across County Wexford which have received funding of over €6 million from her department.
All of the projects were funded under the government’s ambitious rural development policy, Our Rural Future.
Her visit to Wexford began at St Aidan’s GAA club in Ferns, where the Minister officially opened a community gym and walking track lights.
The Minster then went to New Ross to open High Hill Norman Garden.
Speaking at the official opening the Minister said:
“New Ross is a town with a vibrant history and it is fantastic to see this history brought alive here today on High Hill. I would like to congratulate Wexford County Council and everyone involved in all aspects of this project on this great achievement. The High Hill project is just one of the attractions that will be delivered as part of the New Ross Tourism Transformation Project. And I was very pleased that my department’s Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provided funding of €5.56 million for this project in 2019, coupled with over €1 million from Fáilte Ireland.”
Next was a visit to Clongeen to open the Community Development Centre extension and then it was on to Little Sea for the turning of the sod of the Bannow Bay Estuary Blueway, near Wellingtonbridge.
When complete, the blueway will provide safe access and facilities for water sports while also connecting three locations: Little Sea / Bannow Estuary, Wellingtonbridge village and Foulksmills village.
Speaking at Little Sea today, the Minister said:
“I’m a huge believer in promoting adventure tourism – because we have so many wonderful lakes and rivers and waterways that have so much to offer. This project perfectly complements the recent investment in this locality which includes the development of this viewing point, the installation of the Norman Way, the Euro Velo 1 cycling trail and the Slí Charman Coastal Walking Trail. Spanning the full length of the Wexford coast, Slí Charman is Ireland’s longest coastal path and it has also been supported by the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme.”
The Minister continued:
“From the world’s oldest working lighthouse at the Hook to Ireland’s longest beach at Curracloe, this trail shows just how wonderful your coastline is. So I think the term ‘spoilt for choice’ springs to mind when I visit a community like this.”
The Minister’s next stop was at Our Lady’s Island where she officially opened the Our Lady’s Island Community Project.
After receiving investment from the Department of Rural and Community Development the local community centre was retro-fitted. A coffee shop, new playground, outdoor gym, new footpaths and a car park were also completed as part of the works.
The Minister’s final stop was in Clonard. Here she officially opened the brand new High Meadows Community Hub which was developed with support from the LEADER programme.
This new state-of-the-art facility will be used by the 13th Wexford Scout Group, one of the largest scouting groups in county Wexford.
Speaking about her visit to Wexford today, the Minister said:
“I’ve had a great day in Wexford – opening and visiting projects in Ferns, New Ross, Clongeen, Little Sea, Our Lady’s Island and now here in Clonard in Wexford. All of these projects are being delivered as part of Our Rural Future. That’s our five year rural development policy that is breathing new life into rural communities. Thank you for inviting me to open all your wonderful facilities today.”
Please find full details of the investments and projects launched as part of the Minister’s engagements in Wexford.
Ferns Community Gym & Walking Track Lights at St Aidan’s GAA was approved for funding of just over €200,000 under the LEADER programme with the gym being allocated €75,106.94 and the walking track lights receiving €26,899.50.
Community Gym: There were three phases of work included in the project; resolving disability access and fire safety issues with the first floor of the building (installing lift, constructing fire escape stairs and fire proofing the upstairs), installing access control & security systems and the fit out of the community gym. The building works, access control and security elements were essential works; until complete the upstairs of the building could not be safely accessed or utilised by members of the public. To ensure the chosen equipment for the gym fit out met needs and is fit for purpose, the specification has been developed based on priorities identified in the community survey (349 surveys returned) and through industry research carried out by the committee.
Walking Track Lights: Installation of LED lighting to an existing 720 metre to a community walking track which is utilised by an estimated 300 weekly users. Project work included excavation of a trench for cabling and piping, installation of 24 six metre poles with LED lighting, installation of controls / timer in the club house and all connections.
The New Ross Tourism Transformation project is a Category 1 project approved for funding of €5,560,000 from the second call for Category 1 applications.
The project is led by Wexford County Council in partnership with Fáilte Ireland and the JFK Trust.
The project will develop three visitor attractions in New Ross that will combine renewal of prominent town-centre sites with compelling Tourism experiences. The visitor attractions are:
Funding was provided under the 2018 and 2020 Town and Village Renewal Scheme of €200,000 in total. The €100,000 in awarded in 2018 was for the development and refurbishment of the local community hall – extension. €100,000 under the 2020 scheme was for the refurbish Community Centre to develop a remote working hub; a training facility, weekend markets; study hub and community café.
€77,481 was received for 3 projects under the LEADER programme also:
Funding of €199,800 approved under the 2021 Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme Measure 2 for the 11 km blueway amenity in Bannow Bay / Corock River.
The infrastructure will provide safe access and facilities for water sports activities and encourage novices and more accomplished water sport users connect three locations:
Funding was provided under the 2017 and 2020 Town and Village Renewal Scheme and the 2020 Town and Village Renewal Scheme Accelerated Measure with total funding of €223,400 in total.
- playground, outdoor gym and picnic site
- birdwatching and enhanced parking and accessibility works
- footpaths and lighting
- improved access road to Shrine
€186,800 was received for 2 projects under the LEADER programme:
Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme Measure 2 2020 provided €200,000 funding for on trails in the area:
The High Meadows Community Hub received funding of €157, 612 under the LEADER programme:
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 Rural Regeneration and Development Fund is a commitment of €1 billion by Government to be invested in rural Ireland over the period 2019 to 2027.
In total the Fund has now provided over €278 million for 191 projects across the country worth a total of €376 million.
To date, the Fund has provided over €8.1 million for 6 projects located in Wexford worth a total of €12.8 million.
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 €93 million has been allocated to more than 1,300 projects across Ireland.
The LEADER programme accepts applications based on projects which improve:
The LEADER programme is administered at a local level by 29 local action groups, which contain local representatives from the community, public and private sector. Each group is responsible for selecting and awarding LEADER funding to projects within their geographical area.
A project must be aligned with the priorities of the local development strategy. The total funding available under the LEADER 2014-2020 Programme is €250 million.