Minister of state and Longford/Westmeath TD, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran is urging local organisations and community groups to make sure they apply for funding under the €4 billion project Ireland 2040 funds for urban regeneration, rural development, climate action and innovation.
“Athlone, together with towns and villages in the Midlands region, is eligible for the urban generation fund of €2 billion, aimed at encouraging sustainable growth in large urban centres and rural development. The call for applications will open in the coming weeks and I am urging everyone who can apply, to do so,” said Minister Moran.
“The four funds are a major innovation in Project Ireland 2040. Funding will be allocated competitively to the best projects, which leverage investment from other sources thereby ensuring that the impact of this investment goes much further,” he said.
The funds will be open to applications from state agencies, local government, business, educational institutions, chambers of commerce, and others, but the ideal applications will be collaborative efforts that break down barriers. The call for applications will open in the coming weeks.
The allowance will help to ensure balanced regional development and are designed to stimulate renewal and investment in rural and urban areas, the environment and innovation, preparing Ireland for a future with a population of a further one million and 660,000 more people at work.
Three quarters of new growth will be outside Dublin, with 50 per cent of the projected population growth planned for our towns, villages and rural areas and 50 per cent for Irish cities.
