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Donegal County Council Welcome Expressions of Interest in the Town and Village Renewal Scheme 2021 Funding

Donegal County Council are requesting expressions of interest in the 2021 Town and Village Renewal Scheme Funding on/before 14th June 2021 .

This funding is designed to breathe new life into rural communities making them more attractive places to live, work, socialise and raise a family and is a key part of Our Rural Future – the Government’s five year strategy to revitalise rural Ireland. There have been some changes from previous years to the Town and Village Renewal Scheme as - Our Rural Future will see increased investment out to 2025 in remote working infrastructure to provide an opportunity for people to continue to live in rural communities while following their career ambitions.

Potential projects to be covered by the 2021 Town and Village Renewal Scheme are:

• Projects that bring vacant and derelict buildings and sites back into use as multi-purpose spaces. e.g. Tourism, Cultural or Community Hubs
• Projects that bring vacant properties in town centres back into use as Remote Working Hubs. This also includes funding for the repurposing of existing community or publicly owned buildings in town or village centres to facilitate remote working.
• Projects to support the upgrade and enhancement of shopfronts and street facades in towns and villages.
• Projects to develop parks, green spaces and recreational amenities in town centres to make them vibrant hubs for community enjoyment, and to increase footfall for local businesses.
• Marketing campaigns targeted at attracting remote workers and mobile talent to their county/region; and promotion of specific town/villages to attract new customers and/or business investment.
• Projects that support and enhance the night-time economy in line with emerging recommendations from the Night-Time Economy Taskforce.
• Regeneration projects that support active and vibrant town and village centres; these projects should be identified in town and village masterplans (or similar) developed in collaboration with the local community, businesses and the other relevant stakeholders in the town or village.

Donegal County Council is now seeking Expressions of Interest from Towns and Villages who have a suitable project for consideration. Expressions of Interest in respect of Towns and Villages who have not received funding in the past or that have successfully completed projects under previous schemes are also being sought. All Expressions of Interest will be assessed based on the priorities as contained in the Scheme Outline and must be linked to actions outlined in the County Donegal Development Plan where appropriate.