Town & Village Renewal Scheme

About the Scheme

The Town and Village Renewal Scheme was first introduced in 2016. The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is an initiative under the Action Plan for Rural Development and is part of a package of national and local support measures to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland through the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 Rural Regeneration Programme.

The Scheme is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and administered by the Local Authorities. Each year the Department reviews the priorities under the scheme and revises them according to needs. The 2022 Scheme placed particular emphasis on projects supporting bringing vacant and derelict buildings and sites back into use as multi-purpose spaces.

Local Authorities must advertise for expressions of interest from towns/villages in their area and can select proposals for development into detailed applications to be submitted to the Department. The central aim of the Town and Village Renewal Scheme is to support the revitalisation of towns and villages, to improve the living and working environment of their communities and increase their potential to support increased economic activity into the future. The Scheme is targeted at towns and villages with a population of 10,000 or less and all projects funded under the Scheme must be completed within a 12 to 18 month period.

Projects which receive funding will:

· increase the attractiveness of the town or village as a local commercial and social centre, and as a result increase its sustainability as a place in which to live and work

· enhance the town or village's environment and amenities in the interests of residents, businesses, and visitors

· promote the town or village’s potential for tourism and as a centre for culture and local heritage, thus enhancing the sense of identity

Categories of Towns/Villages

Two categories of Towns/Villages are eligible for support under the scheme:

Category 1: Towns/villages with a population of less than 5,000 people

Category 2: Towns with a population of 5,000-10,000 people

Under the standard Town and Village Scheme the minimum level of grant funding available is €20,000 and the maximum available is €500,000 (higher maximum is available for a small number of projects which can demonstrate exceptional benefit to a town).

Selection of projects under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme are by means of a competitive process as determined by guidelines from the DRCD. Full involvement by community interests and business interests will be an essential feature of successful projects. Successful proposals will include activities which have clear positive economic impacts on the town/village which are then submitted for consideration by DRCD.

Waterford City & County Council are currently seeking Expressions of Interest from Communities to be considered to be put forward for funding.

Please email townvillagerenewal@waterfordcouncil.ie for further details on the Expression of Interest process. Please note that the closing date to submit an Expression of Interest form is Friday 05th May 2023.