Our Rural Future: €115million allocated to 23 landmark Rural Regeneration Projects nationwide
•Focus on combatting vacancy & dereliction by regenerating iconic town centre buildings
•Successful projects will see old Courthouses, Creameries, Hotels, Churches, Banks and Schools converted and given new 21st century purpose
Funding worth €115 million has been allocated to 23 landmark rural regeneration projects across the country as part of the Our Rural Future policy.
The 23 projects support a range of sectors and services, including town centre regeneration and residency, remote working, enterprise development, tourism development, remote learning, community development and repurposing of heritage buildings.
The projects are being funded as part of Our Rural Future, the Government’s ambitious 5 Year Policy for Rural Development.
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides investment to support suitable projects in towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000, and outlying areas.
To date, the Fund has now provided €395 million for 215 projects across Ireland, worth a total of €542 million.
See the full list of projects here .
Some of the successful projects announced in November include:
€5.2m for Charleville Town Centre Renewal, Co Cork: This project will see the renovation of a number of vacant and derelict buildings in the heart of the town. Charleville Courthouse will be renovated into a new remote working hub. A currently vacant heritage building on Chapel Street will be converted into a new Arts and Community Centre. In addition, an old HSE building in the town will be converted into the new home of the Men’s Shed and local Snooker Club.
€4.27m for Athy, Co Kildare: The Old Model School & Grounds in Athy date back to the 1800s. This project will see this historic building converted into a State-of-the-Art Food, Drink and Skills Innovation Hub which will provide a dedicated space for enterprise development, job creation and training. A community Food Discovery Centre and Café will also be developed on site. The project will support food entrepreneurs/starts ups and drive job creation in the agri-food sector in the region.
€3.5m for Kilrush, Co Clare: This is a joint project with Clare County Council and Enterprise Ireland to redevelop a vacant building on the marina in Kilrush into a new Maritime Training Centre. The Centre will provide a cutting edge research and training base for the offshore renewable energy sector, supporting job creation and economic development in the region.
€4.59m for Ballinrobe, Co Mayo: This is a grassroots, community led project which will regenerate the former Valkenburg complex (built in 1820) in the town centre to provide a multi-purpose community facility, cultural and performance space. This will reinstate a key piece of community and cultural infrastructure back into use for the benefit of society and community in the heart of the town.
€1.34m for Pilltown, Co Kilkenny: This project will redevelop an historic old stone Creamery building into a social enterprise and community space along with adjacent public realm works to revitalise the town centre.
€11.9m for Cahir Town Centre Regeneration, Co Tipperary: The historic Market House (protected structure) will be renovated to include additional space for Cahir Enterprise Centre as well as co-working/hot desking facilities. The old Granary Building on Church Street will also be refurbished and renovated to become a new Town Library and Gallery.
€1.45m for Durrow Community Enterprise Centre, Co Laois:
This project will see the redevelopment of the former Methodist Chapel and Hall into an Enterprise Centre with co-working space as well as a cultural / gallery and exhibition space.
€6.9m for Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan: This major project will redevelop and refurbish the derelict former Percy French hotel and site in the town centre to provide for a remote working hub and community facilities will act as a focal point for the economic, tourism and community regeneration of the town and its wider hinterland.
€6.3m for Ramelton Re-imagined, Co Donegal: This project includes a wide range of elements including the development of a new Public Park, Children’s Play Area and Sensory Garden. A new pedestrianised public realm area at the Quays and the development of the Market Cross as a civic meeting space with public seating and sculpture.
€3.8m for Castlepollard, Co. Westmeath: This project is focused on a number of inter-related town centre developments, including the refurbishment and extension of the Market House (a heritage building) for use as a community and tourism services hub and the creation of a large town park, stimulating activity directly in the town centre and strengthening the urban fabric of the town.
€5.5m for Bandon, Co Cork: This is a major town centre regeneration project that will see the redevelopment of vacant buildings. This includes converting a former bank building into a community facility and the redevelopment of the old town library into a remote working facility.
€14.39m for Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary: This very ambitious project will help revitalise Carrick-on-Suir, delivering an enterprise and digital hub, major public realm upgrades, an arrival point for the Suir Blueway, and an Amenity and Biodiversity Park, marking the town as a vibrant commercial centre and destination in its own right and enhancing its strategic location in the south-east region.
€4.35m for Boyle, Co Roscommon: This project will build on existing large-scale Rural Regeneration and Development Fund investment in the town, on foot of Boyle 2040, and deliver a community library on a brownfield site in the town centre, creating a key landmark in the town centre and a new modern and innovative cultural and community space.
€7.2m for Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim: This funding will underpin the purchase and re-development of the 112,611 sq. ft. former MBNA campus in Carrick-on-Shannon and the development of an enterprise campus at the site to contribute to growth in rural employment in the region.