Significant funding announced for €2m landmark regeneration project in Cork town

ALMOST €2m has been granted in funding for rural regeneration projects in two big county towns in Cork.

Fermoy and Macroom are the recipients of €1.935m in total, under the Rural Regeneration Development Fund (RRDF), which is being invested in projects that will rejuvenate town centres, drive economic growth and footfall, combat dereliction, develop pedestrian zones and outdoor spaces and boost tourism in Rural Ireland.

The Fermoy Town Centre Renewal Project will see plans developed for the adaptive and sustainable reuse of vacant town centre buildings to accommodate a range of uses that will address the social, economic, cultural and physical needs of the town, the development of an exemplar Craft Makers Hub, the provision of enhanced recreational facilities and place making and public realm enhancements.

The project aims to deliver large-scale regeneration in the town through targeted interventions to revitalise the town centre and drive it forward as a vibrant, liveable, diverse and competitive centre of scale.

Fermoy Fianna Fáil Councillor Frank O’Flynn called the €1.54m in funding the “best New Year’s present the town of Fermoy has ever had”.

“This money will help revitalise the town centre, tackling vacant and derelict buildings, and making Fermoy a more attractive tourist destination."

Mr O’Flynn also mentioned the funding followed a €200,000 allocation from central government to enhance Barnane Walk.

Fianna Fáil Cork East TD James O’Connor also welcomed the announcement.

Deputy O'Connor said, “This funding was hard fought for by Cork County Council and I want to thank Niall Healy and his team in County Hall and Fermoy for putting this application forward.

“Fermoy has come a long way in the past 10 years with the growth of activity on the main street. This development will further enhance the town centre. This investment by the Government underpins ‘Our Rural Future’ and will have a transformational impact across the north Cork region.” 

This announcement follows Fermoy's retention of its place among the top-ten cleanest area in the country according to the final Irish Business against Litter League table for 2021.

Deputy O’Connor added “When complete, these projects will leave a lasting difference on areas like Fermoy for generations to come, benefitting tens of thousands of families across Rural Ireland” 

Meanwhile, Fine Gael TD Michael Creed said the €395,000 announced for development for Macroom would have a “transformational” impact that will “inject new life into the town centre.”

This project will develop plans to revitalise the centre of Macroom, including the public realm interventions that will enhance footfall and improve accessibility and the development of a future vision for a prominent derelict heritage property in the centre of the town.

A number of the projects approved for funding involve the repurposing of old, derelict and historical buildings into modern-day remote working hubs, as well as enterprise, cultural and community facilities.

The funding will bring projects through the development stage and to the point where they are ready to commence works.