‘Red letter day’ for east Cavan
Kingscourt Town Centre Regeneration plan awarded almost €10.9M
News of funding to the run of almost €19M for regeneration projects in the east of the county has been described as a “red letter day”by Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, Philip Brady.
The lion's share of the funding has been allocated for the Kingscourt Town Centre Regeneration plan, which is sent to benefit from almost €10.9M. The announcement came the same weekend as the opening of a new €6M greenway from Kingscourt to Navan (see page 25 for more) representing major investment for Kingscourt.
St Michael’s Hall Community Centre in Cootehill has also been awarded almost €6.13M from the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) administered by Heather Humphreys' Department.
Between them, the Cootehill and Kingscourt regeneration projects have a combined project cost of €18,919,171. The €1.89M balance will be contributed by the local authority.
The money will deliver a transformational redevelopment of Kingscourt town core, including the refurbishment of a former bank building to provide a community library and the refurbishment of another former bank to create a multi-functional hub.
The project will provide new and improved amenities, a more vibrant and attractive town centre, and improved quality of life for residents.
The announcements relate to the fifth call for category one applications under the scheme, which provides funding for large scale capital projects that are ready to proceed with planning already in place. Welcoming the significant funding announcement, Cathaoirleach Cllr Brady said: “Today is a red letter day for east Cavan, as we see another historic investment by the Government in rural communities in the county. The application process for these funds is extremely competitive and great credit is due to the team in Cavan County Council who, working with the local communities and project partners, put together extremely detailed and compelling applications. I look forward to watching these transformative projects progress in the coming years.”
Chief Executive of Cavan County Council, Eoin Doyle acknowledged the local councillors who sanctioned the top-up funding from council coffers to allow the local authority to pursue these "ambitious projects".
“There still remains much to be done to bring these landmark projects to life, there is no doubt that this is an exciting time for the community development sector in Cavan, with these two projects adding to major regeneration projects already underway in Abbeylands, Ballyjamesduff, Ballyconnell, and Bailieborough,” added Mr Doyle.