€4.5M to tackle dereliction and vacancy

Ballyconnell and Belturbet projects in the mix

The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, has this morning announced funding of over €4.5 million to tackle dereliction and vacancy in Rural Ireland.

The investment, under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, will see 24 old and derelict buildings repurposed for community use in developments led by local authorities.

Two of the projects are in County Cavan with Ballyconnell and Belturbet to see properties transformed for the benefit of their communities.

In Ballyconnell, a property, a two-storey house on Preaching House Lane next to the Market House that has been lying vacant for 10 years will now be re-developed under the Minister’s Scheme.

This particular project will see the delivery of a community meeting space with a focus on promoting produce from local farmers and craft merchants.

Meanwhile, in Belturbet, the former Dinkins Home Bakery on the Main Street will be turned into a community, enterprise and tourism hub.

The announcement by Minister Humphreys represents the second year of investment under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme’s Building Acquisition Measure, which is designed to bring vacant and derelict properties back into use in our town and village centres.

Announcing the details today, Minister Humphreys said:

"This initiative is all about giving our local communities the tools to address the challenges of vacancy and dereliction in their towns and villages.

“Through this funding, we are taking those run-down buildings and turning into facilities that will benefit communities for generations to come.

“By doing so, we will help to drive footfall into our town centres, increase tourism and, above all, make our rural towns and villages even better places to live, work, invest, visit and raise a family.

This scheme is underpinned by ‘Our Rural Future’ – the Government's five-year rural development policy.

“We will continue to work with local communities to ensure that our rural towns and villages continue to be vibrant places to live and work, with people of all ages – young and old – seeing and realising the benefits,” said Minister Humphreys.