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Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, today (Saturday, 14 January) officially opened a major multi-sports complex and remote working facility in County Cork.
The Banteer Sports Field Project includes a flood-lit astro-turf facility, spectator area, sports pavilion and event space and will serve the Duhallow area in the north west of the county.
The project, which received €1.3 million under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF), also includes a remote working hub which will benefit workers and businesses in the region.
Officially opening the project today, Minister Humphreys said:
“This project, and many others like it, which have been funded by my department’s Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, represent everything that I have been saying for years about Rural Ireland. It is a showcase of what an energetic and active community, with a fierce sense of pride and place, can achieve when they are given the opportunities and funding streams to make things happen.
“This is a transformational project for the Duhallow area and I wish to congratulate the entire community and all the project partners on completing the project. I have no doubt that this facility will be a valued resource within the community and will have a positive influence on the local economy, while promoting health and fitness in the region.”
Denis Withers, Secretary of Banteer Community Sportsfield CLG stated:
“I wish to pay tribute to everyone who made this project possible, in particular the hard-working Banteer Community Sportsfield group, its officers and members, local sports clubs, neighbours, businesses, schools, public representatives and the Board and Management and staff of IRD Duhallow.
“This is a project which has been developed and nurtured at a community level first and foremost, and this has been reflected in the support received from the local community, and all the fundraisers and ticket sellers who worked so hard to make this vision a reality.
“Special thanks also to Minister Humphreys and her department for their generous support of the community in Banteer. These wonderful facilities will enable the communities in this region, and future generations to come, to enjoy a better quality of life and to continue to grow and thrive.”
While in the county, the Minister also paid a visit to Bandon Country Market, a food co-operative which has been running in the town since 1976. The Minister met many of the food producers involved, as well as some of the original founders of the market and representatives of the Taste of Bandon Food Festival.
In November last, the Minister announced €5.5 million in funding for a major town centre regeneration project in Bandon that will see the redevelopment of vacant buildings, including converting a former bank building into a community facility and the redevelopment of the old town library into a remote working facility. The Minister took the opportunity of her visit to meet many of the stakeholders involved in the regeneration plans for Bandon.
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 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 €395 million for 215 projects across Ireland, worth a total of €542 million.
In relation to projects in County Cork, the Fund has provided over €34.6 million for 21 projects located in Cork worth a total of €59.7 million.