Town and Village Renewal Scheme

All projects must be in a position to commence as soon as approval is granted and must be capable of being delivered in a realistic timeframe i.e. within a 12 to 18 month period.

All expenditure under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme is subject to the terms of the Public Spending Code.

The 2023 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 the town centre first policy.
 
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
• Projects to support town or village centre markets, e.g. farmers markets or artisan markets
• Town/village centre plaza development

The 2023 Scheme will place particular emphasis on projects that bring economic and social vibrancy to town centres and help bring vacant and derelict buildings and sites back into use as community or multipurpose spaces in line with the objectives of “Our Rural Future – Ireland’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025” and the Town and Village Scheme will support these objectives and will to encourage more people to return confidently to town and village centres to work, shop and socialise.

Grant levels

Clare County council can submit up to 5 applications as follows:

• 4 applications Funding €20,000 to €250,000
• 1 application Funding €20,000 to €500,000

Under the 2023 Scheme, grant funding of 90% of the total cost of a project will be provided for any individual project. The remaining 10% match funding must be contributed by the local authority and/or the community.

Project selection

Selection of the 5 projects to be submitted to the department for funding consideration will be by means of a competitive process. Expressions of Interest received will be assessed based on the priorities as contained in the Scheme Outline. The expression of interest form (see below) must be completed in full and submitted to the council for consideration. Applicants should ensure that the necessary consents/permissions are in place and that detailed costed proposals including quotations are submitted with the Expression of Interest.

Only projects that are capable of being delivered within an 18 month timeframe should be submitted.

Expressions of interest can be submitted via email to: townandvillage@clarecoco.ie on or before the deadline of 4:00 p.m. Friday 6th October 2023.

Please refer to the Scheme Outline below before completing the Expression of Interest Form.