The 2022 Town & Village Scheme has been recently announced by the Department of Rural and Community Development. Tipperary County Council is seeking to establish the potential level of interest and the type/nature of any proposed projects that may be eligible for the scheme. Expression of Interest by July 1st 2022 at 12PM

This year the scheme outline may be summarised as follows:

• Local Authorities are invited to invited to select up to 9 proposals for development into detailed applications under the 2022 Scheme
• 1 application must be in respect of Towns/Villages that have not received funding under the previous 3 years of the Standard Town & Village Renewal Scheme

2 Building Acquisition Measures- In recognition of the urgent need to transform and regenerate town centres a new measure to immediately acquire derelict or vacant buildings, with the intention of using these projects for town regeneration purposes in line with the aims of TVRS, is being introduced this year. Local Authorities can submit up to 2 applications for a total fund of €400,000 under this measure. Note: The BAM has an application deadline of 20th June 2022- see scheme guidelines below for details

• This scheme invites applications from towns and villages with populations of up to 10,000 (in exceptional circumstances towns with a population of up to 15,000 will be considered) At least 60% of the funding will be targeted at towns and villages with a population of up to 5,000 people.
• All projects funded under the main Measure must be in a position to commence as soon as approval is granted and must be capable of being delivered in a realistic timeframe i.e. within a 12 to 18-month period.

Max. Number of applications Funding level Matched funding Form to Submit

5 Main Scheme €20,000-€250,000 90% (up to a max of €250,000) 2022 TV Expression of Interest form Main Scheme

1 Main Scheme €20,000-€500,000 90% (up to a max of €250,000) 2022 TV Expression of Interest form Main Scheme

1 Marketing Scheme Measure Up to €50,000 90% (up to a max of €50,000) 2022 TV Expression of Interest form Main Scheme

2 Project Development Measure* Up to 50,000 90% (up to a max of €50,000) 2022 see TV Project Dev Measure EOI form

The following indicative list of activities (not exhaustive) will be funded under the Main 2022 Scheme.

Priority A1 Projects

• Projects that bring vacant and derelict buildings and sites back into use as multi-purpose spaces. This includes former state owned property that is no longer being used and is made available to the community. Multi-purpose use includes enterprise spaces, arts, tourism, youth hubs and other community uses.
• Projects that bring vacant properties in Town Centres back into use as Remote Working Hubs. This also includes funding for the repurposing of existing community or publicly owned buildings in town or village centres to facilitate remote working. Successful applicants who receive funding for remote working facilities will be required to commit to a three year membership of the National Hub Network.

Priority A2 Projects

• Regeneration projects that assist in revitalising our rural towns and villages, in line with the Town Centre First Policy, through planned and sustainable regeneration and development projects that will drive greater economic activity and footfall, address vacancy and dereliction and ensure the re-use of heritage and other existing buildings; these projects should be identified in town and village masterplans (or similar) developed in collaboration with the local community, businesses and the other relevant stakeholders in the town or village.
• New build community centres (where there is a clearly identified and defined need in a town or village that cannot be met with an existing premises).
• Projects to develop parks, plazas, public outdoor dining spaces, green spaces (including allotments and community gardens) and recreational spaces/amenities (to include outdoor sports facilities such as skate parks, basketball courts, tennis courts, etc.) in town centres to make them vibrant hubs for community enjoyment, and to increase footfall for local businesses. Only applications for funding for public or community owned or leased properties and/or lands will be considered. Projects must be located in the town or village centre.
• Marketing campaigns targeted at attracting remote workers and mobile talent to their county/region; and promotion of specific town/villages to attract new customers and/or business investment.

Priority B Projects

Other Projects that may be supported but of a lower priority under the 2022 scheme:

• Projects to support the upgrade and enhancement of shopfronts and street facades (including murals) in towns and villages. Local authorities are encouraged to engage with local business and property owners to examine how group projects can add colour and vibrancy to main streets, and build upon the development of plazas and public outdoor dining and recreation spaces as provided for under Priority A2.
• Projects that support and enhance the night-time economy in line with emerging recommendations from the Night-Time Economy Taskforce.
• Enhancement of heritage assets (e.g. local museums/tourism attractions focused on historical aspects of the area, heritage sites/buildings, etc.) located in towns and villages, including energy efficiency measures.

The Council is asking Community & Social Enterprise groups across the county to bring forward details of any project which the Council could consider for submission to the Department of Rural and Community Development, under the criteria of the 2022 Scheme.

It is expected that the scheme will be oversubscribed and that shortlisting will need to be undertaken. The shortlisting process will refer to the terms of the scheme and suggest the projects most likely to obtain funding be invited to the full application stage of the process.

How to express an interest? Please submit your proposal using the Expression of Interest template by 12:00 noon on the 1st July 2022

by e-mail to: townandvillage@tipperarycoco.ie.

Or by post to:

Town & Village Renewal Scheme 2022, Community & Economic Development Section,

Tipperary County Council, Ballingarrane House, Cahir Road, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, E91 E183.