IFA Countryside

• Each town to receive €100,000 as part of the Streetscape Initiative
• Projects to include upgrades to building facades, artwork, murals, lighting, street furniture and canopies
• Investment to help make our rural towns more colourful, vibrant and attractive places
• Local authorities to begin advertising immediately; Local businesses and retailers encouraged to apply

Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has today announced the 26 towns and villages that will benefit from a €2.6 million fund to support the enhancement of streetscapes and shopfronts.

Under the Streetscape Enhancement Initiative, retailers and property owners will be provided with grants that they can use to improve the facades of their buildings, carry out artwork or install features such as street furniture or canopies.

The overall purpose of the Scheme is to give our towns and villages a facelift and make them more attractive places to live, work or visit.

Minister Humphreys today announced the 26 towns that have been selected for funding with each local authority to receive €100,000 as part of the Initiative.

The Minister today urged businesses, property owners and retailers in the 26 towns to apply to their local authority to avail of funding.

The 26 towns due to receive the funding were selected by each local authority in consultation with local businesses and community groups.

Local authorities will manage the initiative locally and will be advertising for applications in the coming weeks.

The initiative is a key part of Our Rural Future and will make our rural towns and villages more vibrant and attractive places to live, work and visit.

The types of projects that could be supported include:

• Strategic collaboration between property owners to paint buildings and/or shopfronts in vibrant colours
• Upgrade or restoration of historic / traditional shopfronts
• Provision of street planting, shrubbery, trees and flowers boxes
• Installation of canopies
• Murals/public artwork

ENDS

Contact:

The Department of Rural and Community Development Press Office

01-7736843 / 087-1734633

[email protected]

Photo Caption:

Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, standing in front of the Patrick Kavanagh Mural in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan. The project was funded under the Department’s Streetscapes Initiative.

The towns where this measure will be delivered are as follows:

Grants of between €10,000 and €300,000 available for upgrade and refurbishment works to Community Centres

The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, recently announced a new €15 million capital fund to support community groups for the upgrade and refurbishment of Community Centres.  This is an investment in both rural and urban communities across the Country.

The Community Centres Investment Fund will support community groups with the upgrade and development of their Community Centre facilities.

Funding will be available under 3 Categories with grants of between €10k and €300K available:

Category 1: Small scale projects/improvements to facilities – €10,000 to €25,000.

Category 2: Larger scale projects – €25,001 to €100,000.

Category 3: Major projects- €100,001 to €300,000.

Applications under Category 2 and 3 must include a minimum contribution of 5% of the total project costs from the applicants own funds.

Funding is available for capital works such as: –

• Works to improve communal facilities such as kitchen and toilet facilities
• Energy retrofitting, new windows / doors / heating systems
• Upgrades to lighting systems and stage areas
• Works to address safety concerns, including as a result of fire safety audits
• Works to improve disability access
• Improvements to assist in providing additional or better services to the community such as Meals for the Elderly & youth facilities
• Works to develop Community Centres as Social Hubs through the development of Community Cinemas, Youth Hubs and Community Libraries
• Essential maintenance works, repairs to roof, etc

There will be a two-stage application process with applicants asked to register their organisation in advance of the formal application process going live.

Registration will open on Tuesday 3^rd May 2022, applicants need to register as ‘users’ on the portal in advance of the application process opening on Tuesday 7^th June 2022. The closing date for applications is Thursday 14^th July 2022.

The Department will be hosting a number of online information events in May and June 2022 to provide guidance in relation to the application process and details will be released in due course.

Guidelines and a sample application form are now available at www.gov.ie/drcd.

Community Groups are urged to familiarise themselves with the application process and criteria well in advance of submitting their application.

Announcing the funding today, Minister Humphreys said:

“Community Centres are at the heart of every community in Ireland, rural and urban.

“We need places for people to meet up, to play sport and engage in all sorts of activities whether it is meals for the elderly, indoor soccer or basketball, or providing a space for the local dramatic society to perform.

“This new fund is about supporting them to carry out vital upgrade works as well as enhancing the services and amenities they can provide to persons of all ages in their community.

“I am encouraging all community groups to look at this fund and think about how they can use it to improve their own local parish hall or community centre. Do you need new windows or doors? Does the stage or sound system need to be upgraded? Could you look at developing space for a Youth Hub or Community Cinema?

“Community Centres are all about bringing people together in a locality. As Minister, I want to ensure Community Centres continue to be at the heart of our local parishes, towns and villages.

 Also welcoming the Funding, Minister of State Joe O’Brien TD said:

“The newly announced Community Centres Investment Fund, will play a large part in supporting the development of Community Centres throughout the country both in rural and urban areas, allowing people to engage with their communities and the supports available. That is why I am committed to supporting the Community & Voluntary sector to maximise its impact in communities throughout Ireland.”

 ENDS

Contact:

The Department of Rural and Community Development Press Office

076-1006843 / 087-1734633

[email protected]

• Outdoor Recreation and Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) to provide major boost to rural tourism 
• €15 million fund to develop our mountains, lakes, beaches, bogs, forest walks, blueways, greenways and bridleways
• Focus on supporting adventure activities such as hiking, mountaineering, kayaking, swimming and cycling
• Funded in partnership with Fáilte Ireland

 Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has launched a major €15 million fund that will support dozens of outdoor adventure projects across the country.

The 2022 Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) will see the development of natural amenities such as our mountains, lakes, beaches, bogs, walkways, greenways and blueways.

The Scheme, which saw its funding increased by Minister Humphreys as part of the Budget, will place a particular focus on developing adventure tourism in Rural Ireland.

It will support activities such as hiking, mountaineering, kayaking, swimming and cycling, which were especially popular among families throughout the Pandemic.

Today’s announcement builds on the commitment under “Our Rural Future” to continuing the investment in infrastructure that caters for the growth in both local and international outdoor adventure tourism.

The projects that will be supported under ORIS are designed to benefit the health and wellbeing of the communities in which they are located.

The 2022 scheme will provide investment ranging from €30,000 for small scale projects and up to €500,000 for large scale projects.  This is an alteration on last year’s scheme, which provided funding ranging from €20,000 instead of €30,000.

The Scheme is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development in partnership with Fáilte Ireland and projects applications will be accepted under the following Measures:

• Measure 1 for small scale projects requiring funding of up to €30,000,
• Measure 2 for medium scale projects with funding of up to €200,000,
• Measure 3 for large scale projects seeking funding of up to €500,000, and
• Project Development Measure funding of up to €50,000 for development costs for strategic large scale projects

Examples of activities which applicants should have in mind when submitting applications for the 2022 Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) include:

 The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) 2022, provides funding as follows:

• Measure 1 –
  • Small scale repair/development/promotion and marketing.
  • Funding of up to €30,000 at a 90% rate of aid.
  • Maximum of 7 applications can be submitted by each Local Authority.
  • Maximum of 3 applications (increased from 2 in 2020) can be submitted by each Local Development Company.
• Measure 2 –
  • Medium scale repair/upgrade and new trail/amenity development.
  • Funding of up to €200,000 at a 90% rate of aid.
  • Maximum of 3 applications can be submitted by each Local Authority.

• Measure 3 –
  • Large scale repair/upgrade and new strategic trail/amenity development
  • Funding of up to €500,000 at a 90% rate of aid
  •    Local Authorities and State Bodies can submit 1 application each under this Measure.

• Project Development Measure –
  • Detailed development of projects which would enable them to reach a standard for application under Measure 2 or 3 of ORIS.
  • Local Authorities and State Bodies can submit two application each under this Measure.

Full details are available in the Scheme Outline available https://www.gov.ie/en/service/d14e1-outdoor-recreation-infrastructure-scheme/