Painting the county REDZ

Plans for the establishment of a heritage and cultural quarter in the heart of Ennis, the creation of a destination for activity based holidays in the Scariff area and the promotion of the creative arts sector in Shannon are to be advanced under a new scheme.

The Rural Economic Development Zones (REDZ) funding initiative stems from the report of the Commissioner for Economic Development of Rural Areas (CEDRA), which was published in 2014. All local authorities were invited to make submissions under specific categories and three submissions were made by Clare County Council.

Clare County Council has welcomed the allocation of funding to Ennis (€94,000), Scariff (€50,000) and Shannon (€40,000).

“I am delighted that the submissions made by the council have been successful in securing funding. I know that the three submissions were compiled in conjunction with local groups and I have no doubt that this funding allocation will help to rejuvenate and revitalise rural areas which are badly in need of funding and support from Central Government,” commented Cathaoirleach James Breen.

Director of Services, Ger Dollard said the council had received full funding in relation to the Scariff proposal and part funding in relation to the Ennis and Shannon proposals. He indicated that “while we await further detail from the department, this is exceptionally good news.”

“The REDZ initiative is about community participation, boosting employment, tackling rural isolation and helping communities to identify the issues and also the solutions,” said Mr Dollard.