The National Development Plan has provided for a new €1 billion Rural Regeneration and Development Fund to enable towns, villages and outlying rural areas to grow sustainably and support delivery of the strategic objectives of the National Planning Framework.
Funding of €315 million has been provided over the period 2019 to 2022, which will allow both further activity under existing initiatives as well as the introduction of new investment initiatives under the Fund to be supported during this period. There are no specific projects assigned to this Fund in the NDP; instead the Plan makes clear that allocations from the Fund will be made on a competitive bid based approach. I am currently consulting with my colleagues in Government on the development of this Fund and will make further announcements in due course.