Press release
Our Rural Future: Minister Humphreys announces 24 landmark rural regeneration projects nationwide
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Rural and Community Development
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has today announced €75million for 24 landmark regeneration projects in rural communities across the country.
The funding, which is being provided under the €1Billion Rural Regeneration and Development Fund will support the key objectives of Our Rural Future - the government’s ambitious new policy for Rural Ireland.
A large number of the successful projects provide for the regeneration of vacant town centre buildings as remote working and hot-desking facilities. These projects will support remote workers and commuters to work from and remain in their own local community.
Announcing the funding today, Minister Humphreys said:
“Just three weeks ago, the Government launched Our Rural Future, the most ambitious and transformational policy for rural development in decades."
“Today we are putting that policy firmly into action and delivering major investment aimed at town centre regeneration and supporting remote working."
“These projects will breathe new life into towns and villages across the country making them attractive and vibrant places for people to live, work, socialise and raise a family."
Examples of Successful Projects include:
Minister Humphreys continued:
“When I launched Our Rural Future, I said I wanted to see innovative and exciting projects coming forward that would make a real and lasting difference in our rural towns and villages – that’s exactly what the projects we are announcing today are about."
“It is absolutely clear that Local Authorities and communities across the country have picked up the ball on remote working and ran with it. I am delighted that so many of the successful projects today will see the development of remote working and hot-desking facilities in rural towns and villages."
“These projects will not only enable people to live and work in their community but they will also see iconic town centre buildings given a new lease of life and increase footfall for local businesses."
"Supporting the development of remote working facilities in places like Enfield and Carrickmacross will give commuters in those areas the choice to work locally rather than spend hours in traffic each day."
“A large number of these projects also include significant public realm works such as developing new pedestrian areas in town centres, creating new green areas and developing new outdoor public spaces for community and cultural events – these projects will help to make our towns attractive, lived in and vibrant places."
“Today you are seeing Our Rural Future in action - and this is only the beginning. In the coming weeks, I will be inviting new applications under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund and bringing forward an enhanced Town and Village Renewal Scheme which will provide rural communities with more opportunities to make exciting and impactful projects like these a reality.”
Rural Development Investment Programme
The Department of Rural and Community Development’s Rural Development Investment Programme includes a number of integrated funding interventions:
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund was established to deliver on the National Strategic Objective in the National Development Plan 2018-2027 of Strengthened Rural Economies and Communities and will be rolled out over a 10-year period. The Fund is administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development.
The Fund provides investment to support suitable projects in towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000, and outlying areas, which will deliver on the National Strategic Objective of Strengthened Rural Economies and Communities and achieve sustainable economic and social development in these areas.
Calls for applications to the Fund are sought under two categories. Category 1 relates to projects with all necessary planning and consents in place and are ready to proceed, while Category 2 relates to projects which require further development to become ready for Category 1 status.
The funding for projects announced today relates to the outcome of the third call for Category 1 applications, which closed in December 2020.
The 24 projects announced today are located all across the country and will: deliver town and village regeneration; repurpose derelict, disused or heritage buildings; deliver remote work and enterprise spaces; build or transform libraries; deliver tourism infrastructure; and generally support greater activity, footfall, business and residency in rural towns and villages and their hinterlands.
To date, the Fund has provided €243 million for 163 projects across Ireland, worth a total of €326 million.
The Department’s new rural development policy, Our Rural Future, was launched on 29 March. The policy is the most ambitious and transformational policy for rural development in decades.
The funding from the RRDF is provided to further the aims of Our Rural Future, which highlighted the need to build strongly on existing investment and to strive for even greater ambition to achieve significant and rapid progress on the objective of balanced regional development.