Minister confirms €6 million Regeneration Funding for Ballymahon
Minister confirms announcement of €6 million Rural Regeneration Funding for Ballymahon
Local application receives fifth-highest amount out of 24 projects
Press Release
19 April 2021
Longford County Council is delighted to welcome the confirmation of €6 million in funding for the Ballymahon ‘Pobal le Chéile’ project announced today by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.
The application from the south Longford town is one of 24 landmark regeneration projects in rural communities across the country to benefit from this €75 million fund under the Government’s new “Our Rural Future” policy.
The project will see the creation of a cluster of community support services re-established across a campus quarter in Ballymahon to include enhanced family support services, a new dedicated youth club, enhanced elderly care services and the development of a rural working hub.
This ambitious project was initially identified by the Ballymahon Town Team and subsequently developed with the support of the Longford County Council Regeneration Team into its current format.
It will see the redevelopment of the three-storey old Convent building allowing for additional accommodation for both the Bridgeways Family Resource Centre and the Convent House Day Care and Resource Centre as well as the establishment of a multi-purpose community space in a further extension to the rear.
The Old Schoolhouse/Former Boys School (known locally as The Den) will also be redeveloped to accommodate remote working as well as a workshop for Ballymahon Men’s Shed in a large shed to the rear.
The Dean Egan Library, which will be vacated by the relocation of the Bridgeways FRC to the old Convent building, will be reconfigured to accommodate a youth centre with enhanced access roads and car parking.
Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council Paul Ross congratulated everyone involved in the application as well as thanking Minister Humphreys and her department for the funding. “This is the single biggest public investment in community services that we’ve ever seen in Ballymahon. It will be a transformational project for Longford’s fastest-growing town, future-proofing it to allow for continued expansion by building on and enhancing the existing facilities of Bridgeways Family Resource Centre, Convent House Day Care and Resource Centre and The Men’s Shed, with a state-of-the-art technical hub.”
Welcoming the announcement, Longford County Council Chief Executive Paddy Mahon said “Today’s good news is a fitting reward for the wonderful effort put in by the Ballymahon Town Team and Longford County Council. Firstly, in developing a vision for the regeneration of Ballymahon and then in using our combined resources to develop an excellent and successful application under the Rural Regeneration Development Fund. Through this and other government funds, Longford County Council is delighted to have attracted significant investment in the recent challenging months and we look forward now to delivering significantly for our communities and making Longford ‘the place to be’.”
Senior Executive Officer with the Regeneration Team in Longford County Council Terry Rooney said they are very excited about the announcement. “This project is what regeneration is all about – 'Pobal le Chéile' is going to bring three historic buildings in the town that have served the community well in the past, back to life, providing key services to meet the cross-generational needs of the wider Ballymahon community. And it’s a credit to the close collaboration between Longford Regeneration Team and the Ballymahon Town Team as well as all the key stakeholders of the services involved.”
ENDS
Media queries should be directed to Longford County Council Communications Officer Denise Canavan on mediaenquiries@longfordcoco.ie or 043 33 43362.
Download Press Release here
Images
1. Bridgeways Family Resource Centre also known as The Dean Egan Library, Ballymahon
2. The Den or The Old Schoolhouse, Ballymahon
3. The Old Convent Building, Ballymahon
