Tipperary Town to receive significant funding

Tipperary Town will receive funding under the Historic Towns Initiative which will see 13 towns across Ireland share 1.75 million euro to improve the town's infrastructure.

Announced today, the capital funding will help to provide jobs through heritage-led regeneration and will aid the rebuilding of local economies with heritage as a focal point.

Today’s announcement follows the launch last week by Malcolm Noonan TD of Heritage Ireland 2030, the new national heritage plan, which seeks to strengthen the management and protection of Ireland’s built, cultural and natural heritage and provide supports to those responsible for caring for that heritage.

A joint initiative between the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Heritage Council, this year’s scheme follows on from highly successful projects during 2018 to 2021.

A new aspect of the HTI this year was a call for proposals that encourage the specific re-use of historic buildings. The awards in Monaghan town, Enniscorthy and Tipperary town will address residential and business reuse.

Templemore as a pilot town for clean solar energy

'It’s a very exciting proposal and I would ask that the doors are open within the planning section for a meeting with this committee' - Cllr Smith

Commenting, Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan TD said:

“As set out in the recently launched Heritage Ireland 2030 national heritage plan, we wish to put built, cultural and natural heritage at the front of both Government policy and the recovery of the country as we emerge from the pandemic and so I look forward to working with the Heritage Council on similar initiatives over the coming months and years.”

Minister for Housing, Local Government, Darragh O’Brien TD added: “As many people know, I am committed to the heritage-led regeneration of our towns and villages, so I am truly delighted to congratulate the 13 successful towns that will benefit from the Historic Towns Initiative 2022.

“In keeping with the new Government policy Town Centre First, these heritage-led regeneration projects will bring economic benefits to our historic towns, thereby helping them to prosper once again. The re-use of vacant buildings in our town centres will address the supply of homes, tackle dereliction and help us meet our climate change targets.”

Funding will be awarded to the relevant local authorities for eight conservation projects in:

•      Listowel, Co Kerry.
•      Ballyshannon, Co Donegal.
•      Ballina, Co Mayo.
•      Macroom, Co Cork.
•      Tipperary town, Co Tipperary.
•      Naas, Co Kildare.
•      Monaghan town, Co Monaghan.
•      Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.

For the first time under this programme, funding has been awarded to the relevant local authorities for five heritage-led regeneration plans in:

• Callan, Co Kilkenny.
• Drogheda, Co Louth.
• Wexford, Co Wexford.
• Ballymote, Co Sligo.
• Carlow, Co Carlow.