A new funding scheme is to provide €120m to support local authorities and their citizens to re-imagine town centres and to transform publicly owned vacant or derelict heritage buildings through renovation, renewal, and adaptive reuse.
THRIVE – the Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme is funded under the Northern and Western Regional Programme and will provide local authorities with funding of between €2m and €7m to refurbish disused heritage buildings in their areas.
To qualify for a THRIVE grant to renovate a heritage building, local authorities must own the building and have first engaged in public consultation to establish how citizens would like to see the building renewed.
The scheme was launched by Minister of State for Local Government and Planning Kieran O’Donnell TD.
THRIVE has been co-designed by the Regional Assemblies and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to address European, national and regional policy objectives. It is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union and managed by the Northern & Western Regional Assembly.
Heritage buildings under the scheme are classified as structures that form part of the architectural heritage and have unique architectural, historical, archaeological or artistic qualities, or are linked to the cultural and economic history of a place.
Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Kieran O’Donnell said: “I welcome the launch of the new €120m THRIVE Scheme under the ERDF Regional Programmes.
“This is an exciting scheme that will breathe new life into towns and urban centres across Ireland, so that they can function as the sustainable and vibrant heart of the communities they serve”.
Cathaoirleach of the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, Cllr John Naughten said: “I believe that THRIVE will go a long way towards kick-starting development in our region by turning our town centres into attractive spaces for people to live and work and visit.
“THRIVE will promote a citizen-centred and community-led approach to planning and design while also preserving the unique cultural significance of our heritage buildings”.
Projects are required to embrace the core values of the New European Bauhaus – sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion.
The scheme promotes a citizen-centred community-led approach to planning, design and project selection under the Town Centre First framework. Grants of between €40,000 and €200,000 are available to support local authorities with the planning and design phase.
It is a competitive funding call and with 100% grant aid available, is expected to be highly competitive.
The THRIVE scheme is managed by the Northern and Western Regional Assembly and the first call is now open and available at www.nwra.ie/thrive.
