Minister and Kildare South TD Martin Heydon has welcomed the opening of a new Town and Village Renewal Scheme which will be a boost for Kildare towns and villages post Covid.

Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, announced this week that €15 million is to be made available through The Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

Minister Martin Heydon said “I’m delighted that my colleague, Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has made this funding available to help rural communities in Kildare making them more attractive places to live, work, socialise and raise a family.

“The initiative is a key part of Our Rural Future – the Government’s five year strategy to revitalise rural Ireland.

“The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is administered through Kildare County Council which will work with local communities and businesses to develop and implement proposals.

“The Town and Village Renewal Scheme has been a very popular scheme and many Kildare towns and villages have benefitted from funding from this scheme in the past highlighting the great projects that can be created.  These include €92,000 for a walking trail in Ballymore Eustace, €80,000 which helped to start the very successful old hardware shop in Narraghmore and €200,000 each towards new public squares in Rathangan and Kilcullen.

“Measures that will be supported by the 2021 Town and Village Renewal Scheme include:

  • Tackling dereliction in town centres
  • Turning vacant properties into remote working and community spaces
  • Supporting Kildare County Council to run innovative marketing campaigns targeted at attracting remote workers to our county.
  • Investing in green spaces, parks and recreational amenities
  • Upgrading and improving shop fronts & streetscapes on Main Streets
  • Projects that support and enhance the night time economy and add vibrancy to town centres

The previous maximum grant of €200,000 has been increased to €500,000 under this year’s scheme so that projects of scale can be supported.

“I have worked with and assisted several community groups on their plans in the past so please get in touch if you would like some help or advice at any stage.  Applications for funding are submitted to the Department of Rural & Community Development through Kildare County Council and the closing date for the submission of applications is 16th July 2021,” Minister Heydon concluded.