£11m district-wide scheme to stimulate local economy

£11m district-wide scheme to stimulate local economy

30 November 2016

A NEW £11m rural investment scheme for the Newry, Mourne and Down Council area has been officially launched.

The Mourne, Gullion and Lecale Rural Development Programme will deliver direct grant aid to projects in the area across a range of schemes with the overall aim of stimulating the economy and improving the quality of life for residents.

The programme was officially launched by Stormont Agriculture Minister, Michelle McIlveen, during an event in Ballynahinch last week. The Minister said she is committed to protecting and enhancing the quality of life for the high proportion of Northern Ireland citizens who live in rural areas.

She said her department is investing just over £11m to help stimulate the economy, create employment, improve basic services and promote rural regeneration. 

“This in turn will deliver real benefits to people in the area – boosting overall wellbeing, life chances and opportunities. The £11m scheme is part of an overall investment of around £70m in rural areas across Northern Ireland and is a powerful indicator of the importance the Executive places in stimulating and supporting rural communities,” said Ms McIlveen.

The minister said the local council is the third largest in Northern Ireland, covering a wide area from Saintfield to Crossmaglen, explaining she is aware of the time and effort which has already been put into the programme locally.

“When my department received the area’s rural development programme earlier this year for analysis, it was impressed with the content and the extent to which you have engaged and consulted with stakeholders across all the sectors,” said Ms McIlveen.

“That consultation is absolutely vital and has ensured the strategy not only addresses areas of identified need in rural areas, but also links with the local council’s economic regeneration and investment strategy.”

The Minister said the programme has the potential to have a “significant impact” within the area and provides an opportunity to create jobs, improve access to decent services, encourage a healthier lifestyle, improve qualify of life and enhance rural villages as hubs for rural communities.

Nicholas McCrickard, the chairman of the Mourne, Gullion and Lecale Rural Partnership’s Local Action Group (LAG) which will deliver the programme, said “the hard work starts now.”

He explained LAG members and stakeholders have been instrumental in developing an interim rural development strategy to help allocate the funding.

“I have full confidence this will guide us towards the delivery of a wide range of projects focused on addressing social inclusion, poverty reduction and economic development in the area,” continued Mr McCrickard.

“The Partnership is responsible for the delivery of the programme with specific focus on rural business investment, basic services, village renewal, rural broadband and co-operation, with the LAG keen to include the towns of Ballynahinch, Newcastle, Kilkeel and Warrenpoint as eligible areas for grant assistance.” 

He added: “While today marks the official launch, work on the programme started much sooner and we are close to money hitting the ground to help rural dwellers address social exclusion, reduce poverty and boost economic development.”

For further information about the support available under the rural development programme is available or to discuss a potential project, contact the rural development team at Newry, Mourne and Down Council on 0300 013 2233 or log on at http://www.mournegullionlecale.com