Following the announcement by Minister Humphreys of the launch of the 2023 Town and Village Renewal Scheme, please find below the scheme details and the expression of interest form relating to the Scheme.
The 2023 Town and Village Renewal Scheme is designed to support the revitalisation of rural Ireland through a renewed focus on town centre regeneration and enhancing economic and social vibrancy in line with Our Rural Future & Town Centre First policies.
This will be achieved through:
- Town Regeneration projects
- Enhancing our streetscapes
- Green spaces/recreational amenities in town or village centres
- Refurbishment of existing community centres
- A new option to allow local authorities to acquire plots of land to enable development of town regeneration, such as town parks, plazas etc.
- Bringing vacant and derelict buildings back into use as multi-purpose or community spaces or to address remote working needs of the town.
- Projects to support town or village centre markets, e.g. farmers markets or artisan markets
- Town/Village centre plaza development
The 2023 scheme will be targeted at three categories of Towns/Villages as follows:
- Category 1
- Towns and Village with a population of up to 5,000 people
- Category 2
- Towns and Villages with a population of 5,001 to 10,000
- Category 3
- Larger Towns with a population of up to 15,000 people may be eligible where the application is of a high quality and outlines a strong need for the investment, good value for money and positive outcomes that will have a substantial impact on the town.
Grant Levels:
For the 2023 Scheme, the minimum grant which is available is €20,000. The maximum level of grant funding available is remaining at €500,000 in respect of one application from each Local Authority. A maximum of €250,000 will apply in respect of a further 4 applications. 1 application must be in respect of Towns/Villages that have not previously received funding under the Standard Town & Village Renewal Scheme in the last 3 years.
As in previous years, applications will be assessed on a competitive basis.
Expressions of interest must be submitted by email to townandvillage2023@laoiscoco.ie or in hard copy to Catherine Guidera, Community Section, Laois County Council, County Hall, Portlaoise, by close of business on Friday 15th September 2023. Expressions of interest will then be assessed, and the strongest projects developed into applications for funding and submitted to DRCD for consideration.
For any queries in relation to the scheme, please contact Catherine Guidera/Denise Rainey townandvillage2023@laoiscoco.ie
Town & Village Renewal Scheme 2023 –
2023 Town & Village Scheme Outline (PDF, 773.21 kb)