New €15 million ‘Additional Outdoor Infrastructure Fund’
The funding will support local authorities in enhancing outdoor urban space and improving walking and cycling infrastructure. Local authorities are invited to apply under the funding stream for short term measures which will help create safe outdoor urban spaces for the public. The measures will need to be quickly implemented and provide areas in villages and towns where people can walk, cycle and gather outdoors while practicing social distancing. The funding will allow for changes to traffic management arrangements to facilitate the reallocation of road space to improve facilities and safety for urban pedestrians and cyclists. Examples of projects eligible for funding include:
Street pedestrianisation measures Reallocation of road and street space, using footpath extensions, bollards, public seating etc. Traffic management arrangements Other minor improvements The fund will also complement other Government initiatives such as Fáilte Ireland’s new €17 million Outdoor Dining Enhancement Investment Scheme and the €14 million Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Fund for areas outside our towns and villages, recently launched by the Department of Rural and Community Development. The Additional Outdoor Infrastructure Fund will be administered by the National Transport Authority (NTA) as part of its overall national funding programme. A circular has issued to all local authorities with information on how to apply to the programme with allocations announced in the coming weeks.
