Regeneration

Longford County Council’s Regeneration team promotes social, economic and environmental improvements for residents, workers and visitors across County Longford. Our work focuses on strengthening our towns, villages and rural communities by supporting sustainable development, enhancing public spaces, and improving quality of life.

We work closely with local communities, elected members, business groups and a wide range of government departments and agencies to secure funding and deliver strategic projects that address local needs. Collaboration, long‑term planning and community partnership are at the heart of everything we do.

Our Rural Future

Our regeneration programme is guided by Our Rural Future, the national rural development policy for Ireland. This policy sets out an ambitious vision for revitalising rural towns and villages, supporting vibrant communities, enhancing outdoor recreation, tackling vacancy and dereliction, and promoting remote working and enterprise opportunities. Our Rural Future places strong emphasis on collaboration with communities and on creating sustainable, resilient places in which people can live, work and thrive.

It shapes the priorities of major funding schemes such as the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, all of which directly support Longford’s regeneration efforts.

Project Ireland 2040

The work of the Regeneration team is closely aligned with Project Ireland 2040, the Government’s long-term strategy to improve living standards for all citizens.

Project Ireland 2040 changes how public infrastructure investment is planned and managed so that funding is coordinated, strategic and focused on sustainable outcomes. Alongside improvements to physical infrastructure, it supports strong, inclusive communities and balanced regional growth.

Securing Funding, Delivering Projects

The Regeneration team has secured significant investment for projects across County Longford, contributing to economic development, enhanced public amenities and improved local infrastructure.

Funding has been successfully drawn down under major national schemes including the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) and the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF). We also deliver projects through the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) and the Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS). Many of these schemes are open to applications from community groups, enabling local organisations to bring forward high‑impact projects for the benefit of their towns and villages.

Part 8 Developments

A development carried out by a local authority is often called a 'Part 8' development. This refers to Part 8 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, which sets out the procedure for when a local authority seeks planning permission for a new development. As part of Longford County Council, the Regeneration team often seeks Part 8 planning permission for new developments, such as new public amenities. 

Public consultation is an important part of the Part 8 process. For this, the public is invited to view the plans and submit any observations to the local authority. Notice of the proposed development must be advertised and a site notice must be erected on the land on which the proposed development would be situated. 

Following the end of the public consultation period, a report is presented to the elected members of the Council. It includes a list of the persons or bodies who made submissions, a summary of the issues raised by them and the Chief Executive's response. The report then recommends whether or not the proposed development should be proceeded with. The elected members consider this report and recommend one of the following: the proposed development may proceed, may not proceed, or may proceed with modifications.