The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys TD, has announced that funding for the eight locations put forward by Roscommon County Council under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme have been approved.
In announcing the news the Minister said “The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is designed to help breath life back into our rural towns and villages. By improving the appearance and public amenities in our town and village centres, we can help to make them more attractive places in which to work, to live and to visit. I have taken a very collaborative approach to this scheme; each Local Authority worked with local businesses and local communities to identify projects which could have a positive impact on their towns and villages.”
Ballaghadereen, Boyle, Castlerea, Cootehall, Keadue, Monksland, Roscommon and Strokestown are among the 172 towns and villages across the country set to benefit from funding under this scheme.
Details of the amounts and the projects are as follows:
Ballaghaderreen €61,475 – Painting derelict buildings, improve streetscape and renovate building
Boyle €62,216 – Renovate courthouse
Castlerea €61,476 – Enhance Streetscape
Cootehall €20,400 – Undertake Health check
Keadue €37,514 – Painting and Streetscape improvements
Monksland €38,250 – Modernise and refurbish playground
Roscommon €59,994 – Provision of CCTV Project
Strokestown €38,675 – Town seating, restoration of stone well, prepare final report to develop Heritage status.
The amounts allocated represent 85% of the costs of the various projects. The local committees must provide the remaining 15% , which can be provided through a mixture of cash and ‘in kind’ contribution.
There was some positive news for the areas of the county that were not put forward for funding. Minister Humphreys said “This scheme is of course just one piece of the jigsaw in terms of our response to rural Ireland. My Department is also rolling out a range of other initiatives, including the REDZ scheme, the recently reopened CLÁR scheme and the Rural Recreation Scheme. In addition, work on the Action Plan for Rural Development is progressing well. It will be the first cross-Government plan, with targeted actions to specifically benefit rural communities.”
Allocations welcomed
Senator Frank Feighan has welcomed the news, adding that the funding “will help make towns and villages more attractive and more sustainable places in which to live and work.”
“Rural development is a key priority for this Government. Our towns and villages are the heart of our rural communities but many of them are still recovering from the economic downturn. The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is designed to help breath life back into our rural towns and villages. Senator Feighan concluded by saying “I also welcome funding of €63,000 for the reconstruction and enhancement of footpaths in Ballinasloe.”