Our Rural Future: Minister Humphreys announces almost €18.5m to combat dereliction & breathe new life into rural towns & villages

Former Banks, Garda Stations, Convents & Train Stations to be regenerated for community use
Public Plazas, Green Spaces and Community Parks to be developed in towns and villages
28 Remote Working projects supported including County-led campaigns aimed at attracting remote workers to relocate

The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has today (25th Feb 2022) announced almost €18.5 million to benefit rural towns and villages the length and breadth of the country.

The funding is being provided under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme as part of Our Rural Future and places a strong emphasis on projects which tackle vacancy and dereliction by bringing landmark town centre buildings back to life.

Speaking today, Minister Humphreys said:

"I am delighted to announce this latest round of funding as part of Our Rural Future. Many of the successful projects I am announcing today will see vacant and derelict town centre building such as old banks, garda stations and convents transformed into community, cultural and arts spaces. There is also a strong focus on remote working projects in this round of funding and I am pleased to see that a number of counties have set out ambitious marketing plans aimed at attracting remote workers to relocate."

Examples of the successful projects announced today include:

Pilltown, Co. Kilkenny (€500,000) –Piltown Remote Working Hub: The project will result in the regeneration of the former Garda Station in Piltown. The redevelopment of this heritage building will see it repurposed as a remote working hub.

Mohill, Co Leitrim (€500,000) – The redevelopment of the derelict Mohill Station House. Former train station building with significant heritage features will be brought back into use as a multi-purpose community facility to include self-catering accommodation, office space, cultural area and a public amenity space for community events and activities.
Ballyduff Upper, Co Waterford (€250,000) - This project will bring a vacant derelict storehouse located in the village centre back to use as a multi-purpose space incorporating a shop, café, remote working/video-conferencing facilities, youth hub and gym facility.
Donegal, Countywide €90,000 – This project will see an integrated relocation marketing campaign showcasing Donegal as the ideal location for remote working, and encouraging relocation to rural towns and villages across the County.
Doon, Co Limerick (€250,000) – Develop the dilapidated historic convent building into a community services and e-Hub facility.
Monksland, Co Roscommon (€500,000) –This project will develop the new Monksland Central Park, a community park and recreation amenity incorporating a multi-use, multi-generational area, tiered seating, a performance area, walking trails etc.
Blennerville Windmill, Co Kerry (€500,000) – This project will involve the redevelopment of currently disused craft workshops adjoined to the famous Blennerville Windmill. These will be developed into a community bakery and bakery school, both of which will source local organic ingredients.
Urlingford, Co Kilkenny (€250,000) Development of a remote working hub in the old Bank of Ireland building in Urlingford.
Dromahair, Co Leitrim (€250,000) – This project will involve the redevelopment of the former Garda station, which has been vacant since 2013, into a much-needed community facility. The building, which is located on Main Street, Dromahair, dates back to the 1840’s.
Clonlara, Co Clare: (€454,000) – Creation of a public plaza area and multi-purpose community amenity in Clonlara.
Kilglass, Co Sligo (€500,000) – The development of a modern fit-for-purpose community facility including multi-purpose spaces, meeting rooms and remote working facilities
Cromane Connected Community Hub, Co Kerry (€100,000) - The project will see the development of a connected community hub in the former national school building within Cromane. This will future proof the village and contribute to its development as a thriving, vibrant and healthy rural community.
Killeshin, Co.Laois (€500,000) - This project will involve the installation of a digital hub / hybrid workspace allowing people to work remotely from Killeshin.
Tipperary Town, Co Tipperary (€500,000) – This project will create a landmark community amenity at the area known as “The Hills” in Tipperary Town with the provision of pathways, a play area, picnic benches, biodiversity planting and reflective areas.
Roscommon, Countywide - €100,000 - Promote Roscommon as a location for remote workers / mobile talent building on the ‘Global Rossie’ platform to accelerate investment and attract remote workers to relocate to the County.
Patrickswell, Co. Limerick (€500,000) – This project brings a prominent vacant site on Main Street in Patrickswell back into use by developing a multi-purpose community centre/hub to serve local community needs.
Ballinalee, Co Longford (€236,000) - The proposed project will see the renovation of the historic Rose Cottage in Ballinalee. The building will be an interpretive centre and visitor attraction which details the story of General Sean MacEoin, the Blacksmith of Ballinalee.

Minister Humphreys concluded:

“I have substantially increased the size of the grants available under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme this year and I am delighted to see that communities and local authorities across the country have worked together and put forward really ambitious projects which will make a lasting difference in towns and villages across the country. These projects will breathe new life into our towns and villages and are real life examples of the impact that Our Rural Future is having in communities across the country. The first progress report under Our Rural Future shows the excellent progress across Government in the first year of the policy. In the coming weeks, I will be announcing a further call for applications under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and I am asking local authorities and communities to come forward with more ambitious plans for their areas.”

Projects supported under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme

A further announcement in respect of successful projects under the new Project Development Measure of the Town & Village Renewal Scheme will also be made shortly. This new measure will support the development of a pipeline of shovel ready projects for delivery in our towns and villages.

ENDS

Editors Notes

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) is part of a range of measures to support the revitalisation of rural Ireland. The programme is funded under Project Ireland 2040 as part of “Our Rural Future “

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 first annual progress report for Our Rural Future has now been published.

TVRS is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and is administered by the Local Authorities.

Since the introduction of the Scheme in 2016, almost €94million has been approved for more than 1,300 projects across the country.

It has supported a range of activities from improving the public realm to job creation initiatives such as the development of enterprise hubs and remote working facilities. These projects have been identified by local community groups and businesses, in conjunction with their Local Authorities.

The priorities of the 2021 Town and Village Renewal Scheme included:

Projects that bring vacant and derelict buildings and sites back into use as multi-purpose spaces.
Projects that bring vacant properties in town centres back into use as remote working hubs. This includes funding for the repurposing of existing community or publicly owned buildings in town or village centres to facilitate remote working.
Projects to develop parks, green spaces and recreational amenities in town centres to make them vibrant hubs for community enjoyment, and to increase footfall for local businesses.
Marketing campaigns targeted at attracting remote workers and mobile talent to their county/region; and promotion of specific town/villages to attract new customers and/or business investment.

TVRS Main Scheme Approvals

County	Value	No. of Projects
Carlow	€946,600	3
Cavan	€1,021,187	6
Clare	€733,910	3
Cork City	€329,120	2
Cork County	€893,001	4
Donegal	€390,000	4
Dublin Fingal	€45,936	2
Galway	€408,500	3
Kerry	€698,370	3
Kildare	€209,930	5
Kilkenny	€1,135,785	5
Laois	€766,652	4
Leitrim	€1,102,167	5
Limerick	€1,000,000	3
Longford	€677,093	4
Louth	€843,466	5
Meath	€700,000	4
Monaghan	€763,394	5
Offaly	€450,000	3
Roscommon	€950,065	4
Sligo	€1,300,000	6
Tipperary	€788,000	3
Waterford	€691,814	4
Westmeath	€257,231	2
Wexford	€920,914	4
Wicklow	€310,439	3
Grand Total	€18,333,574	99