Mr Michael Ring TD, Minister for Rural & Community Development, today (Monday 25th May) announced details of the CLÁR programme for 2020.
CLÁR is one element of a €30 million package of co-ordinated and complementary supports that is being launched by the Minister this week as part of his Department’s Rural Development Investment Programme. The other elements of the programme to be opened later this week will be the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme. The Rural Development Investment Programme is funded under Project Ireland 2040.
CLÁR provides funding for small scale infrastructural projects in rural areas that have suffered significant levels of population decline. The supports provided through CLÁR have been tailored this year to help rural communities to respond to the new COVID-19 environment. This includes the addition of new funding measures.
The measures being funded under the 2020 CLÁR programme are:
Measure 1: Schools/Community Safety measures (expanded in 2020)
Measure 2: Community Recreation Areas (new in 2020)
Measure 3: Community Wellbeing Supports, comprising:
· Meals on Wheels and linked services (new in 2020)
· Mobility and Cancer Care Transport
Announcing the funding, Minister Ring said:
I am pleased to announce the launch of the CLÁR programme for 2020. Since I reopened the scheme in 2016, it has made a very positive contribution to some of our most remote rural communities, supporting over 1,400 projects with funding of almost €33 million. This year, more than ever, these communities need our continued support.
I have reviewed and revised our approach to CLÁR this year so that it reflects the new challenges which COVID-19 has brought to our communities. In particular:
· The Schools and Community Safety Measure, which funds items such as pedestrian crossings and footpaths to provide safe access to schools, has been broadened to allow additional investments to adapt areas around schools and community facilities to help meet new public health requirements arising from COVID-19.
· Funding will be provided under a new Measure for community recreational areas where friends and families can socialise outdoors in safe, accessible, community spaces while respecting public health guidelines. This Measure will include support for items such as picnic benches/tables, outdoor covered seating or BBQ areas, public lighting, bicycle stands, bandstand/stage areas, etc. These recreational areas will be particularly important for community social interaction in the coming months, in line with the Government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business.
· Community organisations providing meals on wheels and other community services will also be supported to purchase kitchen or food delivery equipment. They can also access funds for any adaptations that may be necessary to their existing vehicles as a result of new public health guidelines. I am delighted to be able to assist these organisations that provide vital services which support people to live in their own homes while also playing a role in combating rural isolation.
· We will also separately continue to fund vehicles for those vital voluntary organisations that provide free transport for people with mobility issues and for those attending cancer treatments.
Minister Ring continued:
I have introduced a standard grant rate of up to 90% of the total cost of projects across all of the CLÁR Measures this year. This should ensure that the requirement on communities or Local Authorities to source match funding is kept to a minimum.
With the introduction of these new Measures, my Department will play its part in helping rural communities adapt their local spaces and support their interactions with one another in a safe but inclusive way. I will be announcing further complementary supports in the coming days under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme as part of my Department’s Rural Development Investment Programme.
Full details of the CLÁR Programme for 2020 are available at https://www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/91ba52-clar/.
Notes for Editors
Background
The CLÁR programme (Ceantair Laga Árd-Riachtanais) is a targeted capital investment programme for rural areas which have experienced significant levels of depopulation. The programme was originally launched in October 2001 but was closed for applications in 2010. The scheme was re-opened by Minister Michael Ring in 2016 to support the development of remote rural areas through small-scale capital projects involving collaboration between Local Authorities and communities. The CLÁR programme has awarded funding to 1,437 projects since 2016, with funding of almost €33 million.
Areas targeted under the CLÁR Programme are parts of counties: Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wicklow and all of County Leitrim. A map of CLÁR areas is provided below.
Measure details
The CLÁR programme is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and is delivered, for the most part, by the Local Authorities in consultation with local communities.
Up to 10 applications in total will be invited from relevant Local Authorities in respect of Measures 1 and 2. The maximum grant funding for projects under Measures 1 & 2 is €50,000.
Measures 3(a) and 3(b) will be operated directly by the Department and will be open to applications from established organisations/groups who are involved in (a) providing meals on wheels and related services or (b) in the provision of transport services on a voluntary basis, free of charge, to people requiring wheelchair accessible vehicles to access day care or other medical therapy or respite services and/or those requiring transport to/from hospitals for treatment under the National Cancer Care Programme.
Measure 3(a) will provide maximum grant funding of €20,000 while Measure 3(b) will provide funding of up to €50,000 for the purchase of a wheelchair accessible vehicles, or €100,000 for a bus.
Additional time is also being provided for Local Authorities and other organisations to submit applications this year. The closing date for receipt of applications by the Department is 28th August 2020 for all Measures.
Full details of the scheme are available at https://www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/91ba52-clar/.
Rural Development Investment Programme
The Department of Rural and Community Development’s Rural Development Investment Programme includes a number of integrated funding interventions:
· Rural Regeneration and Development Fund (RRDF)
· Town and Village Renewal Scheme
· CLÁR
· Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme
· Local Improvement Scheme
· LEADER
· Walks Scheme
The Department’s total funding allocation for 2020 for the Rural Development Investment Programme is €149.7 million.