Kildare to benefit from €1,995,769 in EU Just Transition Funding

Kildare South Fine Gael TD and Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine, Martin Heydon, has welcomed confirmation that Athy and Allenwood have been successful in the latest round of EU Just Transition Community Support Funding.

Athy has been allocated €998,802 towards the redevelopment of the vacant former Christian Brother’s School into a hub for ‘Regenerative Economic Development’, with the hub being used for ‘training and educational activities on sustainable and a low carbon economy’.

“An additional amount of €709,314 is allocated to tailor a ‘bespoke training programme, focused on low-carbon, circular economy practices being delivered to those with limited employment opportunities.’

“ACDAL in Allenwood has been allocated €287,653 to construct a new wastewater treatment plant to ensure operational continuity and the sustainability of the Allenwood Community Development Association, creating green spaces and wildlife habitats”, said Minister Heydon.

Speaking following the announcement, Minister Heydon added: “Ireland’s EU Just Transition Fund programme is targeted at the wider Midlands region as it transitions away from peat extraction for energy use. The selected projects in Kildare will aid these communities, and the country, on a path to a lower carbon-future.”

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“The Kildare projects approved for funding today, will see significant benefits delivered to the region, including investments in enhancing the circular economy, through waste prevention, reduction, resource efficiency, reuse, repair and recycling, along with the preservation, repurposing and refurbishment of local infrastructure and heritage assets for use as enterprise spaces; along with providing support to green technologies, including renewable energy and sustainable energy practices.

The purpose of the EU Just Transition Fund (EU JTF), co-funded by the Government and the European Union, is to assist the territories most affected by the transition to a climate-neutral economy. In Ireland, this focuses on the wider Midlands region, where there have been direct impacts from the move away from peat production and electricity generation from peat.

Concluding, Minister Heydon said: “This funding will allow people to be trained in the jobs of the future in Athy, along with ensuring the sustainability of the Allenwood Community Development Association, and I look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition.”