Increasing footfall in Offaly towns and villages key part of renewal scheme

Changes to the Town and Village Renewal scheme 2020 will support projects that aid the economic and social recovery of towns and villages in Offaly in response to Covid-19.
In May, Michael Ring TD, the then Minister for Rural and Community Development, announced details of a €15 million allocation for the Town & Village Renewal Scheme for 2020.
The Town and Village Renewal Scheme is one element of a €30 million package of integrated supports that the Minister launched as part of his Department’s Rural Development Investment Programme, which is funded under Project Ireland 2040. The other elements of the package are the CLÁR Programme and the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme.
The Town & Village Renewal Scheme provides funding for projects that support rural towns and villages to be more attractive and sustainable. This year’s scheme will, in particular, support projects that aid the economic and social recovery of towns and villages in response to COVID-19.
Speaking at this month's meeting of Birr Municipal District, Ann Dillon, Acting Director of Services, outlined the changes to the Town & Village renewal scheme. The Department of Community and Rural Affairs were asking projects to be submitted by July 3 and a further five projects to be submitted by August 14, to the value of € 25,000 and to be completed by the end of 2020, with a particular focus on “accelerated measures” in response to the Covid-19 crisis. “The emphasis is meeting the short term challenges that towns and villages are facing around increasing footfall in towns and villages and assisting businesses with public health challenges and measures e.g. Social distancing.”
According to Ms Dillon, the local authority had “initial discussions” around schemes that might be suitable including the 'shop front grant scheme' that is being piloted in larger towns this year. The Department is also accepting a further six projects, which have to be submitted by August 28, under this scheme, to a value of € 100,000 and completed over a 12 to 18 month period. “There is a definite slant on economic and social recovery in this year's submissions,” she remarked.
“There will be a lesser selection on the normal scale of projects but there are opportunities there for projects that can quickly start and quickly finish and can contribute to towns and villages meeting those increased footfall objectives of the scheme.”
Cllr Peter Ormond pointed out that in February last, the Council invited expression of interest regarding this scheme. “My understanding is that the planning section had done their evaluation on this. Now, the criteria has changed. Are we opening it up to expressions of interest again or are we going to continue with the current list and the first six on the list, being put forward?” he asked.
He then went onto to question whether communities have the “opportunity to put ina submissions to the Council on this”.
Cllr John Clendennen, agreeing with Cllr Ormond, pointed out that community groups had put a “lot of work to try and do plans on this”. “This is a bit laborious,” he remarked. “I think this is something we need to be careful of because even if we have a project under Town and Village renewal, I think we should make a decision quite quickly whether it should be accepted or rejected,: he added.
Later, the Fine Gael councillor raised the issue of street furniture and signage for businesses. “If businesses are going to have any chance of survival they are going to have to figure out a way to increase their capacity and where the opportunity arises that might be moving outwards. Perhaps, this presents an opportunity in itself where we start working with local businesses to establish how we can introduce street  furniture outside their businesses. We need to show a little bit of understanding right now that if businesses are looking to reopen that we are going to allow them to put street furniture out, once it is not hampering accessibility, that we are working with them rather than coming down with this view of a fine. I think in relation to street furniture , it is something that we are going to have to encourage from here on and not trying to restrict it. It is a message that we could put out there over the next couple of weeks that if there are hospitality businesses that want to make some sort modification to a public space or pathway, that we are able to do business and make that work.”
Replying, Ms Dillon confirmed the review of the current projects to “see if they fit the new criteria”. “The original guidelines is to support businesses to adapt to the public health requirements i.e. around outdoor space. Broader pavements and dining outdoors and indoors and all the sanitising and social distancing measures that are required as well. It does have to be looked at under this lens. We will have to work with communities and  we will do our best to engage with them with regard to a fair approach as to what goes in under the first ten projects.”
“There may be some element of creating schemes that we could propose projects that communities can apply to ourselves. That might be a new approach that might allow particular businesses to apply for a central scheme that is available in Offaly to meet these criteria. There is a little bit of working out to do on this and I know the time frame is short for the first five but we will meet it.”
Cllr John Carroll noted that the Department was coming “down with smaller funding” while Cllr Clare Claffey voiced concerns about people with disabilities being affected by the increased use of signage and street furniture. “I would be fearful about what this could mean. I understand from the point of view of businesses and where this can happen, fantastic but I would love to have that in the mind, starting off.”
Cllr Ormond then pointed out the short time frame for the submission of the first five projects. “There is only going to be one or two in the Birr Municipal District. Do the Executive have any idea of what type of projects going forward?..... I am thinking for example of the Main Street, Birr and what could you do for € 25,000 to qualify for this scheme? We need to work on this very fast if we are going to get anything on this.”
Cllr John Leahy, Cathaoirleach, said that the “now we are seeing that cut, while we are shouldering the responsibility for bigger towns''. “The one problem I would have is that everything is about Covid-19. At some stage, there will be a vaccine. At some stage, we will be looking at millions and millions of euro spent widening paths for weather that we don't have. So we are coming into a situation where this money is being spent and decide to widening paths. And, it is August or September if we are lucky to have it started. We are then coming into the winter and then we are going to come back into the summer where we could possibly have this under control and we have could have a vaccine.”
“From that point of view, we are gone Covid-19 mad. I appreciate that lives are at risk but all this money is being poured in. We have a good scheme in the Town and Village scheme and I can't understand why they couldn't let it continue.”