Fine Gael publishes blueprint for supporting rural communities

• €2 Billion Rural Regeneration Fund to support rural towns and villages
• New €100,000 Town Centre Living Grant to convert over the shop spaces
• Rural Delivery Units to be established in each Local Authority
• New targeted North-West Development Fund to be established
• High-Speed Broadband to be provided to every home, business & farm by 2026
• Key regional roads projects to be delivered
• More Gardaí on the beat in rural communities
• Increased investment in rural water services

Minister Patrick O’Donovan has today (Thursday) published Fine Gael’s Blueprint for Supporting Rural Communities.

The package includes a wide range of commitments to support the regeneration of rural towns and villages.

Speaking about the plan, Minister Patrick O’Donovan said:

“Fine Gael is the Party of Rural Ireland. We established a dedicated Department of Rural and Community Development which has delivered unprecedented investment in towns, villages and parishes across the country.

“We’re the Party that signed the contract for the National Broadband Plan, one of the largest ever investments in rural Ireland and the modern day equivalent of rural electrification.

“We’re the Party that pioneered the Regional Enterprise Plans which have helped drive job creation in all parts of the country.

“There are now more people living and working in rural Ireland than ever before but challenges remain.

“Fine Gael’s Blueprint for Supporting Rural Communities will ensure we build on the strong progress we have made over the next five years.

“Our Policy places a major focus on combating vacancy and dereliction. We will double the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund to €2bn so that we can deliver more large scale ambitious projects in our rural towns and villages.

“We will introduce a new €100,000 Town Centre Living Grant to support the renovation and conversion of above the shop type premises recognising the additional complexities in renovating these premises.

“We will significantly expand the mandate of Connected Hubs so that these facilities can act as an incubation space for local entrepreneurs and start-ups as well as a potential landing space for workers in FDI companies.

“Fine Gael will complete the roll-out of the national broadband plan on budget and on schedule ensuring every home, business and farm has access to high speed fibre broadband by 2026.

“We will create 300,000 jobs over the next five years, working with our enterprise agencies we will ensure that the majority of these jobs are in the regions.

“Tourism is critical to our rural economies. I have seen firsthand the economic spin off benefits from projects like the Limerick Greenway – we will invest more in our natural amenities greenways, blueways, forest parks and mountain trails so that we can make Ireland a global destination for outdoor pursuits and adventure tourism.”