2019 Town and Village Renewal Scheme Open – Minister David Stanton

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme which supports the rejuvenation of rural towns and villages is now open for applications, says Cork East Fine Gael TD and Minister of State at the Department of Justice & Equality, David Stanton. This round of funding, operated by the Department of Community and Rural Development, will be open to towns and villages with populations of fewer than 10,000 people.

Welcoming the opening of this new round of funding, Minister Stanton stated: “I would strongly encourage local communities to look the 2019 Town and Village Renewal Scheme. This round of funding is for Category 1 applications for towns and villages with populations of fewer than 5,000 people and Category 2 for towns with populations of 5,000 to 10,000. I understand that 60% of the available funding will be allocated to Category 1 projects.

“Projects should be able to deliver viable, long-term benefits and enhance the town and village centre environments. Building on a pilot scheme launched by Minister Ring in October 2018, this round of funding will place particular focus on town and village rejuvenation, through the use of vacant premises and sites to increase residential occupancy.

Under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme up to 80% of the total project cost will be provided by the Department of Community and Rural Development. Grant levels range between €20,000 and €100,000 but a higher maximum of €200,000 may be considered where an exceptionally strong benefit to an area can be demonstrated.

Minister Stanton continued: “Since its introduction in 2016, almost €53 million has been allocated under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. It is key to the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 Rural Regeneration Programme and Action Plan for Rural Development complementing the €1 billion Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.

“Successful proposals will involve innovative community and business collaboration supported by Cork County Council which administers the scheme. The Department of Community and Rural Development will soon contact Cork County Council with full scheme details after which advertising for expressions of interest will take place. Further to a competitive assessment process, the 12 successful projects selected by Cork County Council must be submitted to the Department before the end of June deadline.