Senator Aisling Dolan - Strong Voice, New Vision.
Senator Aisling Dolan welcomed €1 million in funding for County Roscommon under the Town & Village Renewal Programme. Minister Heather Humphreys TD announced €20 million in funding for 82 projects across the country including 3 projects in Co. Roscommon through the Department of Community & Rural Development.
The Town & Village Renewal Programme is a gamechanger in terms of urban development of towns in County Roscommon. It is targeted specifically to urban areas under 10,000 in population with a focus on social and economic regeneration. The Department of Rural & Community Development work closely with Roscommon County Council on projects for each town.
Ballaghaderreen has won close to half a million for the Plots Town Park. The Plots is a very central space and this new Town Park will be fully accessible with smooth access paths so people of all abilities will benefit from a green space as well as a children’s play area with skate park and outdoor equipment. This project has been developed by Ballaghadereen Town Team with feedback from the local community working with Roscommon County Council. Councillors in the Boyle Municipal District have also backed this development and to thank my colleague Cllr Liam Callaghan for his support too. Minister Heather Humphreys is an advocate for the county of Roscommon with multiple ministerial visits and in May 2023 she announced funding for community groups across Roscommon in the Phoenix Youth Centre in Ballaghaderreen. It was a great day for over 150 groups in the county who received community funding
It is fantastic to see €250,000 for Monksland to further develop Monksland Centre Park to be a hub of community activity and regeneration. This green heart for the local community is located close to the Primary Care Centre and will include an outdoor performance area, mini skate park, as well as walkways and picnic areas. Now in phase 2 Monksland has won funding to develop a multi-purpose hub connected to the park and a potential place for the arts, dance studios, a library, workshops. To acknowledge the fantastic contribution by local community who have contributed to the design plans through public consultation hosted by Roscommon Co Council with the Monksland Town Team. As well as the positive engagement by Councillors in Athlone Municipal District including my colleague Cllr John Naughten who is a strong advocate for this project.
Over the past number of years we have seen huge levels of government investment through Minister Humphreys Department of Rural & Community Development coming into the Monksland area of Athlone.
‘Putting the Heart Into Monksland’ project investment of €1,508,930 including match funding from Roscommon County Council under the Rural Regeneration Development Fund (RRDF) combined with Towns & Villages funding of €500,000 in 2022. And Minister Heather Humphreys also visited Monksland and met the Town Team as well as local families in 2022 at the opening of the Monksland Way.
Now this additional €250,000 bring funding of €2.2 million for the Centre Park and Community Multi-purpose Hub in Monksland which will benefit the wider area and 4,500 people living in this part of Athlone.
Well done to community and development association in Castleplunkett who have been successful in funding of €250,000 for an outdoor space to enhance the village and to make it focal point for visitors and local families. A very active committee fundraising for Castleplunkett as well as Tidy Towns. It had also been successful with CLÁR funding earlier this year and worked very close with Councillors including Cllr Liam Callaghan.
This large funding into our towns is thanks to the expansion of the Towns & Villages programme under Minister Heather Humphreys. It is part of ‘Our Rural Future’ strategy and we can see over the past number of years more and more young families are deciding to live in the West. We can see added numbers in our schools and sports clubs and it is thanks to volunteers in local communities who have such a pride of place and fight for more services and amenities in our towns. This example of green park spaces in our towns means safe places to walk and cycle for young children and an outdoor space for all ages to enjoy as well as a great place to meet for a chat!
Minister Heather Humphreys said:
I am delighted to approve funding of over €20m under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. The benefit of this funding will be felt the length and breadth of the country.
These projects have come from local communities themselves and I am delighted to see such a diverse range of projects ranging from new Town Parks and Playgrounds to the development of Farmers Markets and Outdoor Dining Spaces.
I am also pleased to see a number of successful projects which will see vacant and derelict buildings brought back into use and repurposed with Community Halls and Youth Centres being provided.
This is Our Rural Future in action, delivering at local level and making a real difference in our rural towns and villages
