€260k for Cavan to enhance local streetscapes

The new 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.

Cavan is to received a welcome financial boost of €260,000 to be used to fund the enhancement of local streetscapes and shopfronts in rural towns and villages.

The funding is part of a new €7million packaged announced by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD which will see over 50 rural towns and villages across Ireland benefit.

Project the funding will be used for includes upgrades to building facades, artwork, murals, lighting, street furniture and canopies, as well as investment designed to make rural towns and villages colourful, vibrant and attractive places.

To realise the investment local Authorities are being asked to collaborate with businesses and property owners who will be provided funding to improve the facades of their buildings.

The new 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.

Cavan, Kerry, Mayo, Louth, Wexford, Fingal, Kilkenny, Offaly, Laois are all listed within Band B and will receive support worth €260,000.

Band A includes counties Cork, Kildare, Donegal, Limerick City and County, Meath, Galway, Clare, Tipperary, Wicklow and will receive €320,000.

Band C counties- Waterford City and County, Carlow, Leitrim, Sligo, Westmeath, Longford, Monaghan, Roscommon- will receive €220,000.

Announcing the new initiative today, Minister Humphreys said: “We have all seen the huge success of towns like Kinsale, Adare and others who have put a major focus on improving their streetscapes by painting buildings in vibrant colours, upgrading and restoring their traditional shop-fronts and removing unnecessary clutter from their main streets.”

She said the new initiative is about Local Authorities thinking strategically and working in collaboration with local businesses and property owners to add colour and vibrancy to our rural towns and villages.

“Outdoor Dining is here to stay and I believe that will only be a positive for towns and villages across the country. Through this fund, we want to make sure that people are looking out at vibrant, colourful and welcoming streets in our rural towns.

“The Streetscape Enhancement Initiative will directly support property owners to undertake work such as shop-front improvement, the painting of buildings in vibrant colours, upgrades to signage and lighting, the development of green areas and the installation of canopies and street furniture.”

The Streetscape Enhancement Measure will be administered by Local Authorities who will be requested to nominate at least two towns per county.

Participating towns and villages will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Minister Humphreys concluded: “'Our Rural Future’, the Government’s ambitious five year policy for Rural Ireland, commits to assisting in the regeneration, repopulation and development of our rural towns and villages.

“Through this new and unique initiative, I am committed to ensuring that our rural towns and villages are attractive and appealing places for families to live, work and visit. I am really looking forward to seeing the type of projects that come forward for funding via the local authorities over the coming weeks.”

The types of projects that could be supported by the new scheme according to the department include:

• Strategic collaboration between property owners to paint buildings or shopfronts in vibrant colours

• Commissioning of murals in towns and villages

• Upgrade or restoration of historic / traditional shopfronts

• Provision of street planting, shrubbery, trees and flowers boxes

• Illumination and lighting of architectural features

• Installation of canopies and street furniture

• Decluttering of streetscapes with removal of unnecessary signs / wires