Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O'Brien and Minister of State for Local Government and Planning Peter Burke are inviting applications from cross-border Local Authority Partnerships for the new Shared Island Local Authority Development Funding Scheme.

The €5 million scheme is being funded through the government's Shared Island Fund and will support the development of new joint investment projects by cross-border Local Authority partnerships to deliver on agreed regional development goals and the Shared Island dimension of the National Development Plan.

The scheme will enable Local Authorities to partner on a cross-border basis to bring new projects through feasibility or pre-planning stages, with a maximum amount of €250,000 per project awarded.

The objective is to develop a pipeline of new proposals at Local Authority level which can seek capital funding for construction and implementation phases, on a cross-border basis, including through the government's Shared Island Fund.

Areas which may be considered for development funding include, but are not limited to:

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• tourism and recreation on a cross-border basis- walking routes, mountain bike trails; active travel opportunities; food trails

• collaborative education, training or skills provision to meet regional needs

• enterprise development, including to support cross-border clusters, networks, innovation, hubs, bioeconomy, agri-food, FDI

conservation of biodiversity; including border region peatland protection

• improving/developing natural or built heritage

• cultural curation projects which recognise and celebrate diverse community and cultural traditions

Announcing the scheme, Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O'Brien said: "Local Authorities have long worked together on a cross-border basis, and many have agreed new regional development goals and strategies. The Shared Island Local Authority Development Funding scheme will enable Local Authorities to take forward these objectives developing a pipeline of new cross-border investment projects. This is part of how the government is working for a more connected, sustainable and prosperous island, as set out in the Shared Island dimension of the revised National Development Plan 2021-30.

"This is a really exciting initiative, which will bring Councils North and South together to explore the potential on their doorstep and develop concrete plans to progress new regional development projects."

Minister of State for Local Government and Planning Peter Burke added: "I'm delighted to announce the opening of the Shared Island Local Authority Development Funding scheme, which will provide a resource for Local Authorities North and South to deliver regional development goals.

"The scheme will help take forward new projects, not only in the border region, but also connecting Local Authorities right across the island, particularly in the areas of tourism, biodiversity, heritage and climate action."

The closing date for cross border Local Authority Partnerships to apply to Shared Island Local Government Development Funding Scheme is 27 May 2022.