Our Rural Future: Minister Humphreys officially opens Fethard Town Park during visit to Tipperary
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, visited Fethard, Co Tipperary, on Sunday (18 June, 2023) to officially open the Fethard Town Park project. This project has provided a community and sports recreation campus for Fethard and the surrounding communities.
Funded under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund with significant matched funding from the Magnier Foundation (Coolmore Ireland), Tipperary County Council and community fundraising, the project has been delivered at an overall cost of €7.14 million.
The strong public private partnership investment in Fethard will deliver positive long-term health and wellbeing benefits for the people of Fethard and the wider Tipperary region.
The investment comes as part of the Government’s commitment to the revitalisation of rural towns under its Rural Development Policy, Our Rural Future and the Town Centre First policy which aim to bring more people, business and investment opportunities to Irish towns.
Tipperary County Council was awarded funding of over €3 million under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund to deliver the Fethard Town Park project.
Speaking at the opening in Fethard, Minister Humphreys said:
“I’m really delighted to here today for the official launch of the Fethard Town Park. The state of the art facility is providing sports and recreational facilities for the local community and the wider region.
“Fethard Town Park will be transformative for the town of Fethard and the surrounding communities, delivering positive long-term health and wellbeing benefits for the people of Fethard and the wider region.
The Minister continued:
“Through my Department’s Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, and with the support of Tipperary County Council, the John and Susan Magnier Foundation and community fundraising, the total investment in this project of €7.14 million shows our commitment to supporting towns and villages across rural Ireland.”
Our Rural Future is the whole-of-government policy for rural Ireland for the period 2021-2025. It offers a blueprint for a thriving and inclusive rural Irelands and adopts a more strategic, ambitious and holistic approach to investing in and maximising opportunities for rural areas.
The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund provides funding for the development and construction of capital projects in towns and villages and rural areas across Ireland. In total the Fund has now provided over €398 million for 215 projects across Ireland, worth a total of €545 million.
In relation to projects in County Tipperary, the Fund has provided €46.8 million for 13 projects worth a total of almost €62 million.
Town Centre First contains 33 unique actions which will give our towns the tools and resources they need to become more viable and attractive places in which to live, work, visit and run a business. Town Regeneration Officers in all relevant Local Authority areas are being funded by DRCD to drive forward Town Centre First on a local level.
The policy also contains a range of actions designed to achieve key objectives such as social and economic revival in towns, the provision of housing, as well as addressing challenges like vacancy and derelict buildings. The actions also support the protection of our environment, as well as the heritage and culture of our towns.
