Meath to benefit from €7M Fund to enhance streetscapes and shop fronts

Meath has been named as one of the counties that will benefit from a new €7 Million Fund to support the enhancement of streetscapes and shop fronts in over 50 rural towns and villages.

Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, has today announced details of The Streetscape Enhancement Initiative will provide funding to property owners to improve the facades of their buildings.

Meath is among the group of nine counties with the highest number of towns villages that will receive €320,000.

The new initiative is a key part of Our Rural Future and will make our rural towns and villages more vibrant and attractive places to live, work and visit.

The types of projects that could be supported include strategic collaboration between property owners to paint buildings or shop fronts in vibrant colours, commissioning of murals in towns and villages, upgrade or restoration of historic / traditional shop fronts, provision of street planting, shrubbery, trees and flowers boxes, illumination and lighting of architectural features, installation of canopies and street furniture and decluttering of streetscapes with removal of unnecessary signs / wires.

Announcing the new initiative today, Minister Humphreys said:

“This new initiative is about Local Authorities thinking strategically and working in collaboration with local businesses and property owners to add colour and vibrancy to our rural towns and villages.

“The Streetscape Enhancement Initiative will directly support property owners to undertake work such as shop-front improvement, the painting of buildings in vibrant colours, upgrades to signage and lighting, the development of green areas and the installation of canopies and street furniture.”

The Streetscape Enhancement Measure will be administered by Local Authorities who will be requested to nominate at least two towns per county. Participating towns and villages will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Minister Humphreys concluded:

“’Our Rural Future’, the Government’s ambitious five-year policy for Rural Ireland, commits to assisting in the regeneration, repopulation and development of our rural towns and villages.

“Through this new and unique initiative, I am committed to ensuring that our rural towns and villages are attractive and appealing places for families to live, work and visit. I am really looking forward to seeing the type of projects that come forward for funding via the local authorities over the coming weeks.”