Longford County Council Regeneration Department

Regeneration Department

In 2015 Longford County Council established a dedicated, cross-sectoral Regeneration team to coordinate the social, economic and environmental regeneration of the entire county in support of an enhanced quality of life for those living, working or visiting Co. Longford.   Since 2019 the department has grown significantly and as of 31 August 2021, in excess of €35 million grant funding  has been successfully secured for projects, the implementation and delivery of which will contribute significantly to the local economy, supporting employment and leading to immense improvements to the infrastructure of the county. As of 31 August 2021 the Regeneration team are working on projects to the value of €42 million which have been awarded funding.

The team works closely and  engages with local communities, Elected Members and agencies to identify projects, source funding, guide and advise on project development and implementation to enhance and develop County Longford.  The schemes identified for implementation are based on a coordinated strengthening of the three main pillars, Economic, Social and Physical regeneration of the County.  The department also meets its obligations to ensure all projects are climate proofed at an early stage.   In 2020 and 2021, because of the Government restrictions on movement imposed due to the Covid 19 pandemic, the many upgraded walkways and trails delivered by the Regeneration team has provided much needed respite to citizens from indoors. This development of the recreational infrastructure across the county will also play a key role in our economic recovery from Covid-19 as they form a key part of the tourism offering of the county and the wider Hidden Heartlands.

Grant funding has been secured under various schemes through the Department of Rural and Community Development, the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage, the Department of Tourism, Transport & Sport and Failte Ireland. These schemes include - Town and Village Renewal Scheme, Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme, Rural Renewal Development Fund and Urban Renewal Development Fund. The grants available  range from  75% to 90% of project costs and Longford County Council in conjunction with community groups provide the remaining 10% to 25% of funding required for project implementation. Longford County Council is committed to allocating financial resources for continued implementation of these positive projects into the future.  

A number of Masterplans have been prepared, including Ballyminion and Camlin Quarter, while others have been submitted for funding applications and will be progressed in 2021 should they be successful.  Consultants have been appointed to prepare Regeneration Strategies for the towns of Granard  and Lanesborough /Ballyleague. The aim is to develop and deliver an effective short, medium and long term path to enterprise and job creation in these areas, building on existing and planned investment and innovation initiatives.  

As part of the regeneration of the county, the Unfinished Estates team continues to make excellent progress in resolving the issues and difficulties of unfinished private estates.  Site Resolution Plans have been agreed and are currently being implemented on the remaining estates to bring them to taking in charge standard.

Updates on our ongoing work and projects including phoptographs can be found on the Regeneration section's dedicated Facebook page as follows:

https://www.facebook.com/regenerationlongford/

The Regeneration department can be contacted by email at regeneration@longfordcoco.ie