Press release
Our Rural Future: Minister Humphreys officially opens the €1 million New Ross Emigrant Park
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
Major regeneration project has transformed old oil tank site along River Barrow into new park and waterfront promenade.
Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys today (Thursday 26 October) visited New Ross, Co Wexford, to officially open the €1 million Emigrant Park project funded under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF).
The major regeneration project has transformed an old oil tank site along the River Barrow into a new park and waterfront promenade.
The new amenity, which received funding of €814,000 under the RRDF, will provide a major boost to New Ross in terms of tourism and will have wider benefits for the local economy. An additional investment of €200,000 was provided by Wexford County Council.
The investment comes as part of the government’s commitment to the revitalisation of rural Ireland under the national rural development policy, Our Rural Future, as well as the Town Centre First policy which aim to bring more people, business and investment opportunities to Irish towns.
Speaking in New Ross today, Minister Humphreys said:
“New Ross is a town with a vibrant history and this project has regenerated a key site in the town, creating a compelling a high quality amenity for visitors who come to New Ross.
“Delivered with funding of €814,000 from my department's Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, this project has completely transformed the old oil tank site into an attractive waterfront promenade and open space.”
The Minister continued:
“The significant RRDF investment in the Emigrant Park along with the €5.5 million New Ross Transformation project will enable New Ross to realise its full potential as a vibrant rural town and visitor destination.”
While visiting Wexford today, Minister Humphreys also opened of The Dome Training Centre at Enniscorthy Community Allotments. The project received funding of €20,000 under the 2023 Community Recognition Fund. The newly opened dome training centre and green community hub will become a growing space for learning about food production and a real-world example of sustainable construction, design and engineering.
Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It offers a blueprint for a thriving and inclusive rural Irelands and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas.
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages and rural areas across Ireland. In total the Fund has now provided over €409 million for 215 projects across Ireland, worth a total of €560 million.
In relation to projects in County Wexford, the Fund has provided €9 million for 76 projects worth a total of €13.8 million.
The Town Centre First policy contains 33 unique actions which will give our towns the tools and resources they need to become more viable and attractive places in which to live, work, visit and run a business. Town Regeneration Officers in all relevant Local Authority areas are being funded by DRCD to drive forward Town Centre First on a local level.
The policy also contains a range of actions designed to achieve key objectives such as social and economic revival in towns, the provision of housing, as well as addressing challenges like vacancy and derelict buildings. The actions also support the protection of our environment, as well as the heritage and culture of our towns.
The Community Recognition Fund, which was launched 24 January, aims to support the development of community infrastructure and facilities in recognition of the contribution being made by communities across the country in welcoming and hosting significant numbers of arrivals from Ukraine and other countries.
The funding is specifically targeted at projects that are located in communities, towns and villages that are hosting the beneficiaries of Temporary Protection and/or International Protection Applicants.
The Fund aims to support the development of facilities that will be used by all members of the community. It is separate in its objectives and scope to any other public funding streams which aim to support the development of public service needs arising from the significant number of arrivals from Ukraine.
€50 million is available under the Fund, and this was allocated between each local authority based on the number of ‘new arrivals’ located there in January 2023. The Fund is being administered at a local level by the relevant local authority. A funding proposal, comprising of projects selected and prioritised locally, was submitted by each local authority to the Department of Rural and Community Development for final approval.
A key principle of the Fund was the need for local authorities to engage with impacted communities. The proposals submitted were developed based on direct engagement with impacted communities and in consultation with the Municipal Districts, Local Community Development Committee and the local Community Response Fora.
All the funding proposals have now been assessed with the €50 million being fully subscribed. Over 880 projects are included in the proposals and range in scale of less than €1,000 to €1 million. They are very varied in nature but include largescale multi-purpose sports facilities, upgrades to community facilities, equipment for sports clubs, walks, playgrounds, community buses and equipment for festivals.
The successful projects were announced on 18 May. Wexford County Council were allocated a total of €1,509,870.