Town and Village Renewal Scheme 2026

The 2026 Town and Village Renewal Scheme (TVRS) was launched by Dara Calleary, Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, on Wednesday 16th September. The 2026 Scheme is designed to support the revitalisation of rural Ireland by focusing on stimulating town centre economic activity and social regeneration. 

This will be achieved through projects which support sustainable employment creation, town centre resilience and regeneration, enhancing our streetscapes, and bringing vacant and derelict buildings and lands back into use as community multi-purpose spaces through refurbishment and renovation.

All expressions of interest, received under this competitive scheme, will be assessed with regard to the types of activities supported, as detailed in the Scheme Outline, with priority afforded to projects that can demonstrate how they align with the objectives of the government policies of Our Rural Future - Ireland's Rural Development Policy and Town Centre First - A Policy Approach for Irish Towns

Examples of projects eligible for funding and activities supported under this scheme include:

• Development projects that will drive greater economic activity and footfall, address vacancy and dereliction and ensure the re-use of heritage and other existing buildings.
• Town/village centre plaza development, public outdoor dining spaces, parks, green spaces (including allotments/ community gardens) and recreational spaces/ amenities located in town or village centres.
• Upgrade and enhancement of shopfronts and street facades in town and villages.
• Projects to support the establishment or regeneration of town/village centre markets e.g. farmers markets, open-air markets or artisan markets.
• Refurbishment/ upgrading of existing community centres (where there is a clearly identified need/rationale - an additional questionnaire applies).
• Projects that bring vacant and derelict buildings and sites back into use as multi-purpose community spaces, including the renovation of buildings or the development of sites as multi-purpose community assets (multi-purpose use includes enterprise spaces, arts, tourism, youth hubs, parks, parklets, allotments, play areas).
• Climate action and biodiversity projects integrated into town centre regeneration.
• Enhancement of heritage assets located in towns and villages, including energy efficiency measures.

Under the 2026 Town and Village Renewal Scheme, a maximum of 6 EOIs can be selected for progression to full application stage, for submission to the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, under the following headings;

Main Scheme

• Projects from €50,000 up to €300,000 - a maximum of 3 EOIs can be selected for progression to full application stage
• Projects from €300,001 up to €500,000 - 1 EOI can be selected for progression to full application stage

Project Development Measure (PDM)

• Projects up to €50,000 - a maximum of 2 standard EOIs can be selected for progression to full application in respect of development costs e.g. detailed design, preparation for the planning and/or procurement, consideration of climate action elements, appropriate assessments etc... in respect of one future strategic medium to large scale project

It should be noted that the approval of funding under this category does not automatically guarantee future support under the TVRS for delivery of the emerging project – the resulting projects will need to be submitted as normal under the competitive TVRS process.

A maximum grant rate of 90% of total project costs applies to all projects, up to the maximum grant values and a minimum match funding rate of 10% of total project cost. Funds secured from existing Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht schemes or programmes or other public funding streams are not eligible to be used as match funding.

How to Apply

Expressions of Interest (EOI) forms must be completed and submitted online via the following link - https://mypoint.limerick.ie/en/applications. The closing date for applications is 12 noon on Friday, 04 December 2026.

• Please read the TVRS 2026 Scheme Outline in full to obtain all information relating to the Scheme, available to view here.
• It is essential that all Expressions of Interest submitted under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme are aligned with Government policies, namely: 
  Our Rural Future - Ireland's Rural Development Policy  
  Town Centre First - A Policy Approach for Irish Towns

For any Main Scheme Expression of Interest to be considered for shortlisting and submission to the Department, it must include:

• Planning Permission/Section 5 Declaration, and
• Appropriate Assessment Screening, where required, and
• A lease, for a minimum period of 15 years from date of project completion, must be in place at the time of application where a project involves works on buildings or lands that are not in the full ownership of the applicant.

·All questions on the Expression of Interest form must be answered, and valid supporting documentation must be uploaded where requested.

Drop-in Information Clinics

Limerick City and County Council will host drop-in information clinics, as outlined below, where community groups will have an opportunity to discuss any potential projects in their communities or ask any questions they have about the 2026 Town and Village Renewal Scheme;

• Kilmallock - Thursday 15th October 3pm to 7pm - Deebert House Hotel, Deebert, Kilmallock, V35 KV62
• Patrickswell - Tuesday 20th October 3pm to 7pm - Patrickswell Community Centre, Main Street, Patrickswell, V94 3K59
• Caherconlish - Tuesday 10th November 3pm to 7pm - The Millenium Centre, The Square, Caherconlish, V94 CC60
• Templeglantine - Thursday 19th November 3pm to 7pm - The Devon Inn Hotel, Templeglantine East, Templeglantine, V94 H489

Please direct any queries to the Rural Development Department by email to TownAndVillageRenewal@limerick.ie or by telephone on 061 - 556008.

CLOSING DATES WILL BE STRICTLY ADHERED TO