Our Rural Future: first tranche of properties to be re-developed for community use announced

 Our Rural Future: first tranche of properties to be re-developed for community use announced

Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, has approved €7.5 million in funding to re-develop 36 derelict and vacant properties in rural Ireland into new community hubs. The funding, under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, will see former banks, Garda stations and courthouses taken into public ownership and converted for community use, and with regard to the county of Cork, will include the FCA Hall in Mitchelstown. 

The scheme is designed to tackle dereliction in rural towns and villages and deliver new facilities that will benefit communities and further properties will be announced once the sales processes have been finalized.

Under the Scheme, local authorities were asked by the Department to engage with the local community to identify suitable properties to turn into the likes of community and enterprise hubs, remote facilities and youth centres.

 Minister Humphreys said: “This scheme is all about tackling the scourge of vacancy and dereliction in our rural towns and villages. It’s about taking those old run-down buildings that have been lying idle for far too long. Now, they will be given a new lease of life and converted into community hubs. As these buildings are redeveloped, they will become important assets for local communities and will ensure that our rural towns and villages continue to be at the centre of our national wellbeing. I want to pay tribute to the local communities who have responded to this initiative with enthusiasm – working alongside their local authority to make this happen.”