First Kilkenny towns and villages to benefit from Covid support funding

Three Kilkenny towns and villages have received €81,000 in new funding to help them to adapt in the wake of the pandemic.

They are among 106 towns and villages across the country that will benefit immediately from €2.8 million in funding under the enhanced Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

Castlecomer, Inistioge (pictured) and Callan are among 106 towns and villages across the country that will benefit immediately from €2.8 million in funding under the enhanced Town and Village Renewal Scheme.

The Kilkenny projects that will benefit from the initial tranche of funding worth €81,000 are:

*Castelcomer: Re-surface and upgrade a part of Market Square, including the provision of seating (€22,500);
*Inistioge: Provision of external seating areas and temporary awning to provide outdoor meeting and entertainment area (€22,500);
*Callan: Provision of new seating, widened footpaths and cycleways (€36,000).

Kilkenny TD John Paul Phelan welcomed the funding. He said it would be used for “practical” projects, including “widening walkways and footpaths to provide seating for shoppers; providing sheltered areas outside local amenities; enhancements to community centres to allow for remote working; adapting community spaces, playgrounds and other outdoor areas for social distancing.”

The chairman of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Andrew McGuinness, added: “This is positive news for Castlecomer, Inistioge and Callan and very welcome as the funding will be a big help in terms of helping people to shop and socialise safely. It’s a step in the right direction in terms of facilitating local shops and businesses to deal with the ‘new normal’.

“I’m particularly pleased to see that the Market Square in Castlecomer is to be upgraded, an outdoor meeting area to be provided in Inistioge and improved footpaths and cycle lanes in Callan. These improvements are very welcome and will be very beneficial to those communities. The scheme recognises the need to support rural businesses and communities to rebuild in response to Covid-19 and I hope that we will see further allocations around county Kilkenny.”