Phil Hogan, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government has announced that he has given sanction to Leitrim Development Company to approve funding of up to €184,186 to Drumshanbo Town Enhancements Ltd towards the redevelopment of a town centre site for use as a community facility.

This funding is provided under the Conservation and Upgrading of the rural heritage measure of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2007-2013 and will provide the necessary financial support to develop a site in Drumshanbo town centre with the ultimate aim of providing a public riverside amenity area, community park and riverside walk.

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Announcing the funding Minister Hogan said: "This project demonstrates the culmination of a number of years work by the community in Drumshanbo and its environs and is an excellent example of what communities can achieve even in difficult economic circumstances. This also represents an innovative way to address the issue of derelict sites in a town centre where the solution provides support for the local community and the continued development of the town into the future. This is the kind of project that also contributes significantly to the aims and objectives of the RDP by improving the quality of life in rural areas and supporting the development of vibrant rural communities going forward. I commend Drumshanbo Town Enhancements Ltd for their work to date and wish them all the best for the continued development of the Riverside Amenity Area."

The LEADER elements of the Rural Development Programme currently offer and will continue to offer significant financial resources to rural communities going forward. With a budget of €96 million for 2012 it is critically important that rural communities’ all over Ireland continue to harness local energies in order to avail of the resources and further develop all aspects of their own communities.

(CD)