Over £2 million funding boost for areas of Tyrone

A MASSIVE funding boost topping £2.2 million has been announced this week for local towns and villages. The ‘Covid Recovery Small Settlements Programme’ was discussed yesterday at a meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council and it was detailed how Newtownstewart, Castlederg and Sion Mills will benefit from a range of new schemes.

Inclusive of shopfront upgrades and a redevelopment of commercial properties, the project is to be bulk-funded by the Department for Communities (DfC) to the tune of £2,023,000 (90 per-cent of the overall programme value), with the total value of the scheme coming in at £2,247,778.

“In these most challenging of times, when good news stories are so few and far between, this investment is to be warmly welcomed,” chair of council’s Environment and Regeneration Committee, Ruairí McHugh remarked yesterday.

“I am delighted that projects in the Derg Electoral area are to primarily benefit from £2,023,000 grant aid from Minister Deirdre Hargey’s DFC Department…”

Nine different schemes are to be completed altogether. In Newtownstewart, a ‘Heritage-led Revitalisation Shopfront Scheme’ will take place alongside an upgrade of existing pathways at Vaughan’s Holm. In Castlederg, a ‘Revitalisation Scheme’ will comprise façade painting to commercial properties and in Sion Mills, another ‘Heritage-led Revitalisation Scheme’ will include an upgrade of a section of public realm space at Main Street along with shopfront upgrades to commercial properties also on Main Street. As well as this, across the Derg DEA, a ‘Small Village Cluster Revitalisation Project’ will involve commercial façade painting and shopfront upgrades in two to three small village settlements. However these locations have yet to be confirmed.

The SDLP’s Derg councillor, Steven Edwards remarked that the funding is “great news” for local areas. “Over the pandemic, the businesses in these areas kept the local community going, providing top class services under incredibly difficult times. It’s only right that their efforts and hard work is acknowledged and I think this scheme does just that.

“Shopfronts will be upgraded in Newtownstewart, Castlederg and Sion Mills. Sion Mills will also have work undertaken to freshen up the Main Street which I’ve raised concerns about for a number of months. I also welcome plans to upgrade the Vaughans Holm walkway path around the sports pitches in Newtownstewart.”

“The SDLP has, and will continue to, lobby for our rural areas. This news is a small step in the right direction and we will continue to engage with council and Stormont for investment in rural areas.”