Over €3.3m funding for Midlands under Town and Village Renewal Scheme

Funding announced for Midlands projects to stimulate town centre economic and social regeneration and resilience
A focus on tackling vacancy and dereliction to bring additional footfall into town centres
Funding for the pre-development costs associated with projects to help communities develop applications for future funding calls

The Midlands region is set to receive funding of €3.3m million for 14 projects in rural communities across the Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath.

The funding, which is provided under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS), is being invested in projects that will rejuvenate town and village centres, drive economic growth and town footfall, combat dereliction and vacancy, develop pedestrian zones and outdoor spaces and boost tourism in rural Ireland.

Some of the Midlands projects approved under the 2025 scheme include:

€500,000 for the redevelopment of the old Shinrone Library in Offaly into a modern multi-purpose community space.
€500,000 for the regeneration of the village core in Ballynacargy in Westmeath including a redeveloped ‘Square’ in the centre of the village and a link to the Old Rail Trail Greenway.
€297,000 for the regeneration of the Market Town Square in the centre of Ballinakill in Laois with public realm improvements.
€500,000 for developments at Longford’s People’s Park to include new car parking with accessible and EV bays to serve Sunflower Special Needs Playground and the Skatepark.
€297,000 for the enhancement of the carpark in Mountmellick in Laois to support increased visitor numbers with pedestrian safety enhancements.
€294,300 for the rejuvenations of two communal spaces at Mill-Harbour Square in Moate in Westmeath.
€300,000 for the Kilcormac Community Plaza Project in Offaly to deliver a village plaza with market infrastructure at the Community Centre.

Additional funded projects have also been announced for Lanesborough, Mucklagh, Clara, Pollough and Raharney.

TVRS Scheme sees over €25m invested in Midlands since 2016

The announcement sees 9 Midlands projects deemed successful under the TVRS ‘Main Scheme’ receiving funding of €3.1 million. In addition, €218,000 is being provided for 5 Midlands projects under the TVRS ‘Project Development Measure’. This measure supports Local Authorities to develop a pipeline of projects and provides funding towards the costs to bring projects to a point where they are shovel ready.

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme has had considerable impact in the Midlands over the past decade, with a total of 273 projects receiving funding of almost €25 million since 2016. These projects have had a significant impact on towns and villages across the 4 counties, bringing landmark buildings back into use as community hubs, regenerating public realm spaces, upgrading and revitalising squares, parks and streetscapes.