Welcome for €100k fund for masterplan for Clara town centre

Funding of €100,000 has been allocated to Clara for the delivery of a plan to revitalise its town centre.

Clara was one of 26 towns nationwide chosen to share €2.6m in funding announced this week by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys

Minister Humphreys said the funding would allow the delivery of the first ever Town Centre First Plans, which would be key to tackling dereliction and revitalising town centres.

As part of the initiative, each local authority will be provided with €100,000 to support the development of its own unique master plan.

Among the 26 towns selected are Moate in Westmeath, Roscrea in Co. Tipperary and Rathdowney in Laois.

Each local authority will now work closely with local community groups, retailers and the other members of the Town Teams in devising and delivering on the objectives of their respective masterplans.

This initiative is a key part of Our Rural Future – the Government’s ambitious five-year strategy designed to reimagine and revitalise Rural Ireland.

It is also linked to the Government’s ‘Housing for All’ strategy and the forthcoming ‘Town Centre First Policy’, which will be announced in the coming weeks.

Announcing the details of the 26 towns, Minister Humphreys said:

“I am really pleased to announce the first ever Town Centre First Plans as part of a €2.6 million investment for Rural Ireland.

“Each local authority has put forward one of their towns which will receive €100,000 from my Department to develop its own unique master plan.

“The development of these 26 Plans will feed into the Government’s overall Town Centre First Policy, which will be launched in the coming weeks.”

The Town Centre First Plans will be guided by a strong empirical base and developed collaboratively with local Town Teams involving community, business, as well as public private stakeholders.

It is envisaged that the plans will cover the importance of “place-making”, town centre living, the social and economic purpose of the town, and respond to emerging opportunities such as those linked to remote working, climate action and digitalisation.

Each plan will set out specific actions and interventions and help unlock national funding streams such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund and the Town & Village Renewal Scheme to resource delivery of these interventions.

Welcoming the funding, Minister of State Pippa Hackett said she was delighted to see Clara among the 26 towns earmarked for funding.

“Developing town centres first is a core Green Party policy and we pushed hard to have it included in the Programme for Government. It’s all about bringing derelict and vacant housing back in to use, and enhancing the public realm in a town.

"What follows is more town centre residents, more footfall and better business,” she said.