County Roscommon secures €6m in Just Transition funding
A planned riverside walkway project in Castlerea has secured a further €409,542.
County Roscommon is set to benefit from more than €6m in the latest round of Just Transition funding.
Out of the four projects, the largest allocation of almost €5m has been awarded to the Peatland Trails Roscommon project.
The funding will support the delivery of a shared walking and cycling trail across Bord na Móna lands in a number of Roscommon townlands including Meelick, Derrymoylin, Cuilbeg, Slattagh More, Dooslattagh, Caul and Cloonmore.
In Castlerea, a planned riverside walkway project has secured a further €409,542 to upgrade 148 metres of the existing riverside walkway in the town centre.
Funding of €419,718 has been approved for the Roscommon Rural Water Solar project, which will see solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and associated infrastructure installed at five community-owned group water scheme facilities.
€214,000 has been allocated to the Ballyforan Bog Loop Connection project. The funding will allow more progress on plans to link Ballyforan village with the nearby 3.1km bog loop walk. This follows a vision study that has already been completed.
Welcoming the Roscommon funding which is local authority led, Fine Gael councillor Liam Callaghan said the county allocation was great recognition for local councillors who continue to seek investment for their local communities.
The riverside walkway funding was welcomed by Fianna Fáil councillor Paschal Fitzmaurice. “This funding is on top of €500,000 under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme. I have been pushing this project for some time and the idea came from seeing local people having difficulties with accessing the Riverside Walk. This project will be fully accessible and I was delighted to bring the project to the Towns Trust who fully embraced the idea.
“The project upgrades 148m of an existing riverside walkway in Castlerea town centre, which is currently relatively inaccessible,” he said.
Meanwhile, €231,000 has been approved in Longford funding to advance the Clondra–Tarmonbarry Greenway connection.
Welcoming the allocation, Independent councillor Tom Crosby said: "I warmly welcome the approval of €231,000 through the Just Transition Fund to support the next stages of the proposed greenway connecting Clondra, County Longford, with Tarmonbarry, County Roscommon."
He said the funding would enable the Stage II design and Stage III tender preparation for a 1.6-kilometre route along the Camlin River, Royal Canal and River Shannon corridor.
"It will help advance an important cross-county link between the Royal Canal Greenway, which currently terminates in Clondra, Tarmonbarry and the River Shannon.
"I have made this project a priority over recent years because it has the potential to strengthen connections between our villages and waterways, support local tourism and contribute to a wider network of greenways across County Roscommon," he said.
