Rural Regeneration Fund

Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphries made an unexpected visit to inspect the progress on the project with Deputy Michael Creed. The Rural Regeneration Programme is funded by her department. The Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) is a commitment of €1 billion by government to be invested in rural Ireland over the period 2019 to 2027.

The purpose of the fund is to support job creation in rural areas, address de-population of rural communities and support improvements in our towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000, and outlying areas.

Initial funding of €315 million has been allocated to the fund on a phased basis over the period 2019 to 2022.

Banteer Astroturf Facility

In January of 2019, Banteer & District Community Sportsfield with the help of IRD Duhallow as project promoter, secured €1.2m from the RRD Fund. This ambitious project to create and develop a state-of-the-art community sports facility for the Banteer & District communities is now almost complete. The facility includes a full-sized allweather pitch, spectator area and sports pavilion which includes changing rooms, a community museum, exhibitor area, Café and a social area for events and gatherings. This development now acts as a centre for community interaction and engagement, social inclusion and promotes sport to children in the area which will encourage healthy living while tackling childhood obesity. What makes this facility unique is that it is the only community-owned

facility of its size in the country. This new project provides an all-year-round recreational facility for the catchment area, and will attract more people into the region which will positively influence the local economy, promote health and fitness, and fill a gap for such an amenity in the sector. It complements existing amenities in the region and the local community. The facility will in effect be a community enterprise which will be supported by employment schemes such as Tús and CE and will also cater for work placements on Local Training Initiatives in sports recreation.

The inclusion of a museum/exhibition area of sports memorabilia will also attract people to the area interested in viewing such articles/photos/ videos etc. this will help to preserve the historic achievements of the 100 years of Banteer Sports for future generations. Projects such as this help small areas to not just sustain but attract new settlers and activity to rural Ireland. Areas which are the essence of rural Ireland. Late last year, the Department audited the facility and the file and were very impressed with mammoth task the community has undertaken to make this facility a reality.

Bweeng Recreation Hub

IRD Duhallow worked closely with the Bweeng community to this year submit an application under the Rural Regeneration fund to develop a Recreation Hub in Bweeng. A feasibility study was conducted with LEADER support and Horgan Lynch Consultants provided a comprehensive report into the viability of the project. It outlines that there are a number of elements to this project:

December 2020 Construction of the new building which includes changing facilities, toilets, disabled facilities, spectator stand, museum, tearoom, and a digital hub.

Drone photography of the Banteer AstroTurf and building. The impressive facilities will serve the community of Banteer, and indeed the County of Cork and beyond. July 2022, the building is complete and the digital hub, funded under LEADER is ready to be opened. The committee on the site for the proposed Bweeng development.

1. Exercise Running Track & Athletics Training Facilities – It is proposed to install a compact 250m 4 lane running track complete with an integrated 100m sprint lanes and run off area alongside shot putt, long jump and high jump areas to cater for all types of athletics. 2. Soccer/athletics grass training pitch area 3. Floodlighting 4. Extension to the existing amenity walkway & landscaping 5. Local Arts, Heritage & Cultural Park installations. 6. Outdoor Gym

The site is ideally located as it complements existing facilities. This colocation of facilities will provide a rural social hub, making Bweeng a more attractive place to live in line with the placemaking framework adopted by Cork County Council. The Athletics track would be a state-of-the-art facility, and its only rivals would be those in College Campuses such as CIT and UCC.

Currently people note that it is impossible to get a space on any of these tracks which are oversubscribed. Successful applicants of the Rural Regeneration Fund will be notified in September, and we are hopeful to see this worthy project amongst them.

Plan of the proposed Bweeng Recreation Hub project which has been submitted to the department for Rural regeneration funding.