Small Businesses and the Town & Village Renewal Scheme

It was great today to see the Michael Ring TD, Minister for Rural and Community Development, announce details of a long awaited €15 million allocation for the Town & Village Renewal Scheme for 2020. The Renewal Scheme will provide funding for projects that support rural towns and villages to be more attractive and sustainable.

 It is now more important than ever to support the real backbone of the Economy, the small businesses. These small businesses are a vital part of the Irish economy, creating and keeping jobs and money in their communities boosting the local economy, spearheading the fast-paced growth of our country, and serving as a seedbed for our home-grown entrepreneurs.

More environmentally friendly.

Compared to monstrous shopping malls and Big Box chain stores, local shops require fewer public services and less infrastructure. Local stores make more efficient use of public services have lower maintenance relative to big box stores and strip shopping malls.

Local stores also help to sustain vibrant, compact, walkable town and neighbourhood centres-which in turn are essential to reducing urban sprawl, motor car use, air and water pollution and in many cases, habitat loss.

 So, Minister Ring and the department must promote SMEs now more than ever through this €15 million initiative.

If the coronavirus pandemic causes small local businesses to close their doors forever, you, your community and the entire country will feel the impact, not for months, but years, to come.