Report to the Joint Committee on Rural and Community Development from Castleblayney Regeneration Committee by Annmarie McHugh Chairperson on Wed 6 November 2019. Thank you for the opportunity to show how we have used the monies granted through various schemes from the Dept of Culture,Heritage & the Gaeltacht and the Dept of Rural and Community Affairs and explaining how we feel towns like ours, could benefit in the future. Castleblayney is situated 65 miles from Belfast , 69 miles from and 5 miles from the border. Castleblayney has 3,607 residents of which Non-Irish nationals accounted for 20 % Vs National Average 12 %. The town is synonymous with music, football and Lough Muckno. Lough Muckno is a beautiful lake and forest park, situated literally at the end of Main Street and a hive of activity all year round with watersports, children’s playground and angling. Castleblayney Regeneration was formed in June 2015 as a result of a public meeting held in the town by Co Council in May 2015. The group of volunteers represent retail, community groups and businesses in the town. Our focus has been to maintain and increase economic activity in the town and to continue to make Castleblayney a great place to live in and visit. Our successes as a committee to date,include developing a Town Voucher initiative which has kept over €100,000 circulating in the town and utilising grants in a positive way. Castleblayney was chosen as one of 8 towns for the Free Market exhibition highlighting the Market Square at the Venice Biennale and recently as one of six towns for the Pilot Town Centre Living 2019. We work closely with Monaghan Co Council who attend our monthly meetings and have helped us in applications for funding and supply match funding for the grants and funding we have received as listed below; Rural Economic Development Zone (REDZ) 2015: Grant €75,000 Lough Muckno visitor attraction car park (45 spaces) Beautiful Street Initiative: 22 terraced properties with coordinated colour palettes to front facades and maintenance to rainwater goods Town identity installation – Castleblayney Welcome Wall Broadband report & Website and small business training for small retailers . Town & Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) 2016: Grant €38,500 Removal of old lights, erect new lighting columns and heads, new storm drainage and gullies and replacement of kerbs and paving at lower Main Street, Castleblayney. Install new public bins, public benches, road markings and signage. All above works included associated site works. The project also includes the provision of tourism signage for a heritage walking trail of the town, including interpretative signage and way marking for Lough Muckno. TVRS 2017: Grant €40,000 Castleblayney Public Realm and Economic Plan TVRS 2018 - Grant €100,000 Public Realm works to facilitate ‘Big Tom’ statue, coach parking facilities & Music Wall of Fame Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) 2018 – Enterprise Centre 2018 €2,138,560 which will be situated in the middle of the town Opportunities 1) The Pilot Town Centre Living consultants, Shaffrey Architects, have met on a ‘clinic’ basis with people from designated streets in the town & again on a one to one basis . This has identified the need for one person to be responsible to push forward this agenda by being the ‘Regeneration Knowledge Expert’ ,knowledgeable about the different funding or help that is available for building owners who own buildings in the town to encourage them to repurpose their buildings. This is one of the recommendations from Grainne Shafferty’s report. A volunteer group do not have the knowledge or the time to find out the information which building owners need, to make their homes more habitable or more useable.( All counties/towns could do this) 2) We feel that more accessible funding could be made available for one or two flagship projects with economic benefits together with investment in public realm can encourage greater private investment in town centres. In Castleblayney we have two vitally important historical buildings, the Market House and . Both of these buildings are in dereliction and funding opportunities for projects of this scale are limited. (Create realistic funding) 3) Make the town centre the agenda for relevant departments in the government for example, the HSE are building new centres on green sites and perhaps those centres could be located in the town, possibly using vacant buildings rather than building them where people have to drive to use the services or have a VAT refund for builders and people who build within town centre 4) We have been working with Age Friendly Ireland and would like to create better environments for older people to live longer, healthy lives by providing additional services and accommodation in the town. This is a huge opportunity if planned well. 5) Easy to access info& funding from SEAI to upgrade houses in the town ,often old period houses, so they are warmer and more conducive for people to live in. 6) Attraction of high quality /highly paid jobs to the location. Finally we have a Town and Economic Plan , a very detailed plan and created through collaboration with many groups and organisations. There are many opportunities within this plan for significant improvements to the streetscape and landscape of the town, all of which would encourage business, tourism and economic growth. Threats If we do nothing, the towns will go into disrepair and people will not want to live there. We need high quality jobs to attract our graduated children back to the area. Not enough tourism accommodation yet 2 sites in the town that were previously used for accommodation are in dereliction causing public unrest . Strong possibility that the ‘Town Realm and Economic Plan’ remains on the shelf due to funding restrictions and last but not least burn out of volunteers  Castleblayney Regeneration www.castleblayney.ie What I will cover

• Brief background to Castleblayney Regeneration Town Team • Funding we received & how well we used it • 6 Opportunities • Threats Castleblayney, Co.Monaghan

3,607 residents of which Non-Irish nationals accounted for 20 % Vs National Average 12 % Castleblayney Community Enterprise Centre Groups CB Sustainable Castleblayney Tidy Energy Group Towns

Castleblayney Businesses Regeneration Traders Committee

Education Muckno Heritage Society Monaghan County Castleblayney Council Tourism

4 Rural Economic Development Zone (REDZ)Funding 2015 REDZ Funding 2015 €75,000 Town & Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS)2016 & 2017 • 2016: Grant €38,500 • Removal of old lights, erect new lighting columns and heads, new storm drainage and gullies and replacement of kerbs and paving . Install new public bins, public benches, road markings and signage. Tourism signage for a heritage walking trail of the town, including interpretative signage and way marking for Lough Muckno. • 2017: Grant €40,000 • Castleblayney Public Realm and Economic Plan TVRS 2018 - Grant €100,000 – Money well spent! Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) 2018 – Enterprise Centre €2,138,560 2018 Music Wall of Fame

2019 Paddy Cole Wall Mural 1) On the Ground ‘Regeneration Knowledge Expert’ ,who is knowledgeable about the different funding or help that is available for building owners of building in the town to advise and encourage them to repurpose their buildings. A volunteer group do not have the knowledge or the time to find out the information which building owners need, to make their homes/buildings more habitable or more useable.( All counties/towns could do this)

2) We feel that more accessible funding could be made available to help restore and put back into use, key historic buildings in our town and towns around the country. In Castleblayney we have two vitally important historical buildings, the Market House and Hope Castle. Both of these buildings are in dereliction and funding opportunities for projects of this scale are limited. (We are asking you to create realistic funding) Opportunity to increase funding for projects

The Market House Hope Castle Opportunities

3) Make the town centre ‘the agenda’ for relevant departments in the government, for example, the HSE are building new centres on green sites and perhaps those centres could be located in the town, possibly using vacant buildings. Create VAT refunds for town centre buildings. 4)Towns could work with Age Friendly Ireland to create better environments for older people to live longer, healthier lives by providing additional services and accommodation in towns. This is a huge opportunity if planned well. 5) Easy to access info & funding from SEAI to upgrade houses in the town ,often old period houses, so that they are warmer and more conducive and attractive for people to live in. 6) Attraction of high quality /highly paid jobs to the location. • If we do nothing, the towns will go into disrepair and people will not want to live there. We need high quality jobs to attract our graduated children back to the area . • Not enough tourism accommodation yet 2 sites in the town that were previously used for accommodation are in dereliction causing public unrest . • Strong possibility that the ‘Town Realm and Economic Plan’ remains on the shelf due to funding restrictions • Last but not least - burn out of volunteers  Report to the Joint Committee on Rural and Community Development from Castleblayney Regeneration Committee by Annmarie McHugh Chairperson on Wed 6 November 2019. Castleblayney is situated 65 miles from Belfast, 69 miles from Dublin and 5 miles from the border. Castleblayney has 3,607 residents and is synonymous with music, football and Lough Muckno. Non-Irish nationals accounted for 20.5% of the population of this area compared with a national average figure of 12.%. Castleblayney Regeneration was formed in June 2015 as a result of a public meeting .We work closely with Monaghan Co Council who have helped us in applications for funding and supply match funding for the grants and funding we have received as listed below; all have been used to good effect in the town. Rural Economic Development Zone (REDZ) 2015: Grant €75,000 Town & Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) 2016: Grant €38,500 TVRS 2017: Grant €40,000 TVRS 2018 - Grant €100,000 Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF) 2018 –€2,138,560 Opportunities Create an On the Ground ‘Regeneration Knowledge Expert’, knowledgeable about the different funding or help that is available for building owners More accessible funding could be made available to help restore and put back into use, one or two key buildings in towns which will drive economic growth. Create realistic funding. Make the town centre the agenda for relevant departments in the government to using vacant buildings to house projects. Create VAT refunds for town centre buildings Age Friendly Ireland opportunities exist to create better environments for older people to live longer, healthy lives by providing additional services and accommodation in the town. Easy to access info & funding from SEAI to upgrade houses in the town. Attraction of high quality / highly paid jobs to the location. Threats If we do nothing, the towns will go into disrepair resulting in further dereliction. Strong possibility that the ‘Town Realm and Economic Plan’ remains on the shelf due to funding restrictions and last but not least burn out of volunteers