£13.5m for Down from Rural Development Programme

• Council Clusters
• Rural Development Programme

More than £13.5 Million has been confirmed for rural development projects in County Down in the next four years.

The investment for Down will be to Ards (lead Council), Banbridge, Down and North Down council areas and will be invested in initiatives which will help to improve the quality of life in rural communities.

A local partnership - the Down Rural Area Partnership - made up of local Councillors and community representatives, has already been formed and is making preparations to allocate the funding to projects, which could address issues relating to anything from employment, farm and fishing diversification to expanding access to services for rural communities and encouraging tourism.

The Down group expects to begin its first call for applications for funding in mid-March and in the meantime, anyone who would like to know more about the Rural Development Programme in Ards, Banbridge, Down or North Down Council areas can in the first instance contact the Development Department of Ards Borough Council, Tel: 028 9182 4065.

Welcoming the announcement of the allocation of the funding, David Kerr, Chair of the Down Rural Area Partnership, said the programme's success will depend on rural communities themselves:

The Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 is part financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD).

www.ards-council.gov.uk