Town centre scheme funding for Sixmilebridge welcomed

Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe has welcomed the allocation of €100,000 in funding to the town of Sixmilebridge under the newly unveiled Town Centre First Plans initiative.

A total of 26 towns nationally have been chosen by the Department of Rural and Community Development for the scheme, which aims to tackle dereliction and revitalise town centres.

In each case, the local authority will be provided with €100,000 to support the development of its own unique master plan, meaning the overall value of the scheme is €2.6 million.

“This is hugely welcome news for Sixmilebridge and its surrounding villages,” said Deputy Crowe.

“The aim of this newly announced scheme is to focus on tackling derelict and vacant properties and making town centres more attractive places to live, to work, to socialise and to run a business in.

“The funding will be administered directly to Clare County Council to allow them develop a town centre plan specific to the needs of Sixmilebridge.

“One thing I would very much like to see addressed is the recent changes to the streets and footpaths around the main square in Sixmilebridge.

“Whilst most people like to see improvements carried out in their village or town centre, a lot of business people and homeowners along the main square are finding the new pavements difficult to navigate.

“I hope in light of receiving this, Clare County Council can revisit some elements of these works to ensure that they work for everybody.

“Vacant properties are an issue in Clare – the latest GeoDirectory report from August shows that our county ranks in the top ten nationwide for vacant commercial properties.

“The way our society has gone in recent years has meant it’s harder for smaller urban centres outside of the cities and county towns to ensure that their streets are filled with thriving businesses – but the onset of Covid, and working from home becoming more prevalent, has meant that rural towns and villages have much more viable futures than we might have thought.

“To have an injection of funding like this to ensure that Sixmilebridge will thrive for generations to come is truly exciting.

“I look forward to working with Clare County Council and assisting in any way that I can to make sure that this new chapter for Sixmilebridge is one of its best yet.”