Tag Archives: Town and Village Renewal Scheme

COUNTY Clare has been allocated €776,573 in the latest round of funding from the government’s Town and Village Renewal Scheme. The allocation is part of a national total of €27 million issued by Minister Heather Humphreys to combat dereliction and breathe new life into rural towns and villages. The biggest allocation of €249,005 is for a public realm project in the Cappa area of Kilrush to provide new access and address safety concerns at the beach and playground area, enabling it to be reclaimed as part of the coastal walk. A project to improve the public realm in Ennistymon will receive €226,143. The work will enhance the quality of public space and the built environment to support the creation of a vibrant and inclusive townscape. A sum of €151,925 will go towards the development of the Quin Village Park, which currently serves as a picnic area, and a community village amenity for education and entertainment. Lisdoonvarna, meanwhile, is to be …

THREE projects in Clare will share a grant of just under €734,000, under the first strand of the 2021 Town and Village Renewal Scheme. Projects in Clonlara, Drumgeely and Mountshannon have been selected in this funding stream, which tackles vacancy and dereliction by bringing landmark town centre buildings back to life for community use. The allocation was welcomed by Clare Fianna Fail TD Cathal Crowe, who said, “This is a significant fund coming into our county which will help rejuvenate the three areas that have been selected. “The biggest single allocation of €454,050 goes to Clonlara for the creation of a plaza area at the village crossroads, as well as the development of a multi-purpose community space at Kiltenanlea Church. “This will hugely transform the village centre and I think the idea of a central plaza is one that could be replicated in years to come in communities the length and breadth of the county. “In Drumgeely in Shannon, €225,000 …

MILTOWN Malbay has had a colourful make-over and is looking ahead to a bright future, after an enhancement project which has given a facelift to 30 local properties. Community interests, businesses, homeowners and school students have been working together for a several months on the initiative, which includes the painting of a number of murals on landmark buildings. Last November, Miltown Malbay Community Enhancement secured €40,000 to paint buildings and shop fronts, under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, and the funding has led to an estimated investment of up to €90,000 locally. “Like a lot of rural towns, Miltown has been on its knees,” said committee member Seán Malone. “We set up a group five years ago that has since turned into the Enhancement Committee. We’re working on several projects including walking trails and thanks to some perseverance, we managed to secure the €40,000. “That was to paint 30 buildings and we then decided to do the murals.” Expertise …

SIX towns and villages in Clare have been given a funding boost of just under €800,000 to help local communities adapt to life under Covid-19 restrictions. A total of €779,242 has been allocated to the local projects under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme 2020. €200,000 has been granted to Obair in Newmarket-On-Fergus to regenerate a derelict building on main street. The project will see the construction of a production kitchen, cooking enterprise hubs, a commercial cookery school, holistic space and office suites and a youth cafe. The project aims to help make Newmarket-On-Fergus to be a more sustainable village in which to live, work and socialise. In Kilfenora €200,000 in funding has been allocated for the development of a Universal Access Centre of Discovery for the Burren told through the five senses – sight, touch, taste, hearing and smell. Universal Access will increase capacity to cater for a wider audience and enhance the overall tourism offering. €90,242 funding has …

COMMUNITY and voluntary organisations across the county are at risk and facing a funding crisis, the chairperson of the Killaloe Municipal District has warned. Councillor Pat Hayes said that the public health restrictions have left the sector reeling and fighting for survival, despite the fact that it continues to make a huge contribution to the Covid-19 response, particularly in rural parts of Clare. He is now calling on government to open up funding opportunities so that organisations can apply to cover some of their basic running costs. “What you have here is a double blow to the sector,” the Fianna Fáil member outlined. “If you take a community hall or GAA facility, they’ve had to shut down which means they’ve lost any income they might normally be able to generate. Most of them still have basic costs to cover and restrictions on gatherings have meant that most of the normal fundraising events have been impossible.” Councillor Hayes said that while …

FIVE Clare towns and villages have received just under €115,000 as part of a new Government scheme to help them adapt to the Covid-19 pandemic. They are among 106 towns and villages across the country that will benefit immediately from €2.8 million in funding under the enhanced Town and Village Renewal Scheme. The local areas that will benefit from the initial tranche of €114,274 in funding are: Tulla: Social distancing community meeting space (€13.050) Tuamgraney: Improvements to East Clare Memorial Park, including footpaths, seating and boundary wall (€25,000) Kilkee: Reconfiguration of playground layout to allow for social distancing (€22,295) Carrigaholt: Provision of outdoor tables and seating with temporary awnings (€24,229) Killaloe: Provision of measures to promote social distancing in main pedestrian areas (€29,700) Welcoming the funding, Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey said the money will help communities to shop, socialise and work safely as they adapt to the post-Covid reality. “It is vitally important that we see an increase in …

A PLANNED re-development of the centre of Clarecastle will see the creation of a safe environment for the community to come together, with people “accessing as a village rather than using it as a through road on a national route”. Members of the Ennis Municipal District have given their backing to the Town and Village Renewal Scheme works planned for Clarecastle’s Main Street, the link between the village and motorway network. The works involve improvements to existing footways and carraigeways, landscaping, drainage works and signing and roadmarking. According to the council, the objectives of the scheme are, “to provide a safe area for pedestrians and other vulnerable users to walk; to provide a safe route for vehicular traffic to travel through the village; to provide a safe environment for the community to come together.” A report on the proposal was put before the monthly meeting of the Ennis Municipal District where it was outlined that three submissions have been received …

THE village of Clarecastle is set for a €200,000 makeover which is hoped will bring an economic boost to the local area. Public consultation has begun for the proposed Town and Village Renewal Scheme which will be mainly centred in the heart of Clarecastle. Among the planned improvements will be the inclusion of street furniture and sculptures, traffic calming and landscaped areas. It is anticipated that these works will have the potential to encourage new businesses to set up in Clarecastle, giving a much-needed shot in the arm to the local economy following Roche’s decision to close its plant there. Local councillor Paul Murphy has described the works as a “positive move” for the village. “These proposed works will enhance the centre of the village and it is hoped that this will make the village more attractive to businesses. There are some vacant units here and these works, which will increase the attractiveness of Clarecastle, will have the potential of …