Youghal Slob Bank Walk, Killavullen Walk & Ballard Waterfall projects successful

Fine Gael TD for Cork East and Minister of State at the Department of Justice has welcomed the allocation of €29,256 for three rural recreation projects in Cork East Constituency. Funding is being made available under the Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme operated by the Department of Rural and Community Development.

“Funding has been awarded to two local development companies, Avondhu Blackwater Partnership and South and East Cork Area Development (SECAD), for the following three projects, all of which will help boost tourism in the area:

Avondhu Blackwater Partnership
Ballard Waterfall (Kilworth): €9,660 – safety railings and viewing platform extension
Kilavullen Walk (Capagh): €1,996 – upgrade and resurfacing works

SECAD
Youghal Slob Bank Walk: €17,600 – enhancements towards walking trail status

“This funding is part of €1.8 million in funding for 128 projects nationally under Measure 1 of the 2018 Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme. This measure covers small local projects and their promotion and marketing only with maximum funding capped at 80% of total project costs to a maximum value of €20,000. Measures 2 and 3 relate to medium and large scale works with maximum grant awards of €200,000 and €500,000 respectively which will be announced later in the year”, explained Minister Stanton.

A total fund of €12 million is available under this year’s Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme. The scheme is part of the Government’s Action Plan for Rural Development and provides funding for the development and maintenance of outdoor amenities such as greenways, blueways and other trails. Further details on the scheme are available at: https://drcd.gov.ie/category/outdoor-recreation-infrastructure-scheme/

Minister Stanton concluded: “Recreational tourism is growing every year and it is crucial that we continue to improve facilities to support this growth. Figures from Fáilte Ireland show that the hiking and cycling tourism markets are worth approximately €1.2 billion to the Irish economy. Aside from the obvious tourism benefits, it’s also hugely important that we maintain and develop our outdoor infrastructure to encourage everyone to keep fit and live a healthy active lifestyle.”