ABBEYFEALE, Askeaton, Bruff, Kilmallock, Newcastle West and Rathkeale are to benefit from a new initiative to be administered by Limerick City and County Council.
The Streetscape Enhancement Initiative will provide funding to property owners to improve the facades of their buildings.
These projects can include upgrade to building facades, artwork, murals, lighting, street furniture and canopies.
The investment is designed to make rural towns and villages colourful, vibrant and attractive places and local authorities will collaborate with businesses and property owners on the projects.
County Limerick has been allocated €320,000 for the projects out of a nationwide fund of €7 million and is one of nine local authorities to receive this Band A funding.
The initiative is a key part of Our Rural Future and will make rural towns and villages in County Limerick and across the country more vibrant and attractive places to live, work and visit.
Our Rural Future is the Government’s five-year strategy to revitalise rural Ireland and includes a commitment to upgrade and enhance shopfronts and street facades in our rural towns and villages.
The focus of this latest measure is to support the upgrade and enhancement of shopfronts and street facades of defined areas within selected rural town/ village centres.
Mayor of the City and County of Limerick Cllr Daniel Butler welcomed the announcement: “This funding from the government will help to make our county’s towns more attractive places for people to live and work. It is all about improving our towns and will be led by businesses and property owners. The pandemic has taught us that there is an appetite for more services outside of the main urban areas and this initiative will support people as they reinvent their premises to cater for more people.”
The types of projects that could be supported include:
- Strategic collaboration between property owners to paint buildings or shopfronts in vibrant colours
- Commissioning of murals in towns and villages
- Upgrade or restoration of historic/ traditional shopfronts
- Provision of street planting, shrubbery, trees and flowers boxes
- Illumination and lighting of architectural features
- Installation of canopies and street furniture
- Decluttering of streetscapes with removal of unnecessary signs/ wires
Grant funding will be provided at the following rates:
- 70% for Individual premises – matched funding 30%
- 80% for Joint applications (groups of three or more adjacent premises) – matched funding 20%
- 100% – Where painting is undertaken by direct labour by applicant
Applications are invited now from within the towns for funding and are available on Limerick.ie.
Closing date for receipt of completed applications is Tuesday 07 September 2021.
