Local Greens welcome Redevelopment of St Margaret’s for Multi-Purpose Community Space

Today (Monday 15th January, 2024), local TD and Minister of State Joe O’Brien and local Councillor Ian Carey welcomed the funding provided by the Minister’s Department of Rural and Community Development that will benefit St. Margaret’s. It comes as part of a €4.5m package from the Minister’s Department to tackle vacancy and dereliction.

This round of investment will see the redevelopment of St Margaret’s in Dublin Fingal through purchase of the Parochial Hall, Parochial House and Coach House, to be converted into multi-purpose community space.
Speaking about the project in his own constituency, the Minister said:
“I am glad to see the inclusion of St Margaret’s in Fingal in this investment. The redevelopment of the Parochial Hall and House, and the Coach House will provide much needed community space, making the area more welcoming for residents and visitors. I am pleased to see the development of our rural towns and villages focus on multi-purpose community spaces.”
Welcoming the initiative, the Minister said:
“I am delighted to announce the details of this €4.5 million investment under my Department’s Town and Village Renewal Scheme. The initiative is all about giving our local communities the tools to address the challenges of vacancy and dereliction in their towns and villages. Through this funding, we are taking those run-down buildings and turning them into facilities that will benefit communities for generations to come. By doing so, we will help to drive footfall into our town centres, increase tourism and, above all, make our rural towns and villages even better places to live, work, invest visit and raise a family.”

Local Green Party Councillor Ian Carey said:
“The local community are delighted that the Parochial Hall and the cluster of historic buildings will be preserved for community use.
“The hall, in particular, has been a central part of the community for such a long time and there was much upset at the decision to put it for sale. Now it will continue to be used by the community and stay as a focus for residents for years to come.”

ENDS

NOTES
Town and Village Renewal Scheme
The 2023 Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) supports the revitalisation of rural Ireland through a renewed focus on town centre economic and social vibrancy and regeneration, including tackling vacancy and dereliction in towns and villages.
The scheme is administered through the local authorities, who are required to work closely with local communities and local businesses to develop and implement proposals that can make a lasting impact in revitalising rural towns and villages across the country.
Building Acquisition Measure
The 2023 Building Acquisition Measure formed part of the overarching Town and Village Renewal Scheme structure. It provided up to €500,000 to each local authority to purchase vacant and derelict buildings for future development as community assets. Each local authority was invited to apply to purchase up to three such buildings within the €500,000 available.
Our Rural Future
Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It represents a new milestone in the approach to rural development policy for Ireland.
The policy’s objectives will be achieved through the delivery of 161 measures, to be implemented progressively over the life of the policy across a range of government departments and agencies. Annual work programmes enable new actions to be added over the policy’s lifecycle, to respond to the emerging needs of rural communities.
Town Centre First
Town Centre First contains 33 unique actions which will give our towns the tools and resources they need to become more viable and attractive places in which to live, work, visit and run a business. Town Regeneration Officers in all relevant Local Authority areas are being funded by DRCD to drive forward Town Centre First on a local level.