October 12, 2009

EUR28 million awarded for urban development projects in NSS designated Gateways and Hubs


The Border, Midland & Western (BMW) and the Southern & Eastern (S&E) Regional Assemblies have announced that they have recently approved grants totalling EUR28 million to fund Urban Regeneration and Sustainable Urban Transport projects in the National Spatial Strategy Gateways and Hubs under their respective Regional Operational Programmes, which are co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

These allocations will provide up to 60% of public investment costs in the selected urban projects in the BMW region and 50% of these costs in the S&E region, with the balance provided by the local authorities. The announcement follows a call for projects which was issued in July and these projects were assessed by a Steering Committee representing the Department of Finance, Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the two Regional Assemblies. The funding is drawn from the 7.5% advance of ERDF funding to the 2007-2013 Regional Operational Programmes.

In the case of the Southern & Eastern Region, EUR11 million in grants have been awarded to the Gateway cities of Cork, Dublin, Limerick and Waterford to co-finance a variety of projects from public realm improvements to green transport routes, from arts centres to tourist visitor attractions.

In the Border Midland and West Region, the 5 designated Gateways: Galway City, Midlands (Athlone, Tullamore, Mullingar), Sligo, Letterkenny and Dundalk have been awarded EUR10.85m, towards strategic transport, urban regeneration and cultural investments; while the Hub towns of Ballina, Castlebar, Cavan, Monaghan and Tuam will benefit from an investment of EUR6.3m in urban renewal, amenity provision, energy efficiency and cultural infrastructure investment.

The selected projects which are to be largely completed by the end of 2010, will greatly enhance the potential of the Gateways and Hub Towns, making them more attractive places in which to live, work and invest. The diverse initiatives proposed by the Gateway and Hub local authorities are expected to make a significant contribution to the economic, environmental, social and cultural development of these cities and towns in both regions.


Gateway Development Fund

Posted by iroronan at October 12, 2009 10:17 AM