Mayo County Council welcomes confirmation of €11.03m government funding for Castlebar projects under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund 2021
Date: 12-03-2021
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, today announced €82.8 million in funding for seven regeneration projects in the Western investment region of Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. The projects are being funded under ‘Call 2’ of the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF). The URDF part-funds projects aimed at enhancing urban areas to make them more attractive places in which to live, work, visit and invest. The four local authorities which will deliver these multi-annual projects, will receive this funding. The national press release is available here.
Mayo County Council has warmly welcomed this announcement of funding. In welcoming today’s announcement of funding, Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr Richard Finn outlined “This funding announcement is significant. When completed, these projects will provide new and exciting opportunities for the town of Castlebar, through innovation, and the public realm, for those who live in, work in, and visit the town and indeed the County. I would like to acknowledge the work of all concerned in putting these applications together”.
The Castlebar Historic Core Reactivation project has received approval of €8.53 million. This is a public realm project that will stimulate regeneration by redressing the deterioration of underutilised historic properties and back lands that frame the Mall, Castlebar’s historic urban core.
The project consists of:
- Public realm works in the Mall, to refurbish and rejuvenate its setting and to provide an enhanced connection to other parts of the town, including the Military Barracks and Ellison Street
- Re-purposing the former Daly’s (Imperial) Hotel (built circa 1790) as an innovation hub. The innovation hub will be established as a centre of climate change action, environmental business-led research and the wider green and smart economy. It will form a part of the Atlantic Economic Corridor Enterprise Hub Project.
- Re-purposing the former Castlebar Post Office (built circa 1904) as a community youth resource centre.
- Master plan and strategic site assembly at key locations in Castlebar.
The Castlebar Military Barracks Project has received approval of funding of €2.5 million.
This project is a follow-on to the masterplan for the multi-phased ‘Castlebar Military Barracks project’. The project’s first phase was funded under ‘Call 1’. The Military Barracks has significant potential as a catalyst for re-energising the centre of Castlebar. This phase of the project will involve detailed design, planning and essential enabling works to existing buildings.
Peter Duggan, Interim Chief Executive of Mayo County Council concurred with the Cathaoirleach in welcoming today’s news “I am pleased to welcome news of funding in excess of €11 million euro under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund 2021. Both projects will be transformational for the town of Castlebar. Overall, I believe this funding can be a vehicle for development and growth and an economic stimulus for the County”.
John Magee, Director of Services with Mayo County Council added
“This funding announcement is hugely important as it enables significant investment in this historic part of Castlebar. These projects provide jobs and bring activity into our town centres. Mayo County Council will continue to seek funding to progress regeneration projects throughout the County”.
The €11.03 million in approved funding is in addition to €7.38 million in approved URDF funding for three ‘Call 1’ projects: ‘Ballina Innovation Quarter’, ‘Castlebar Urban Greenway Link’ and ‘Castlebar Military Barracks’ bringing the total funding into the County under the URDF scheme to €18.40 million.