Further dereliction funding could be available: Attwood

The DoE Minister recently invited applications for funding to tackle ‘dereliction’ from Northern Ireland’s 26 local councils. Limavady’s bid was initially unsuccessful, although Mr Attwood later secured an additional £200,000 worth of funding on top of the £1 million he had already allocated.

This meant that on top of the funding package set aside to tackle dereliction in Fermanagh, Down, Lisburn, Moyle and Belfast, Limavady, Newry and Mourne and additional projects in Belfast could also benefit.

The Minister has now gone on to state that he will continue to fund projects aimed at cleaning up derelict and ruined buildings, and even suggested that councils such as Limavady who have already been successful in their bids to secure funding could “refresh” their bids.

He said: “I see dereliction funding as a rolling programme which I will be bidding to maintain into the next financial year and beyond. Existing bids will be reconsidered as and when further funding becomes available and Councils will have the opportunity to refresh their bids at that point if they so wish. I believe monitoring rounds provide a mechanism to roll out the scheme across the Council areas, particularly those which have not benefited to date. For a relatively small sum the dereliction fund can have a big impact. The evidence is for all to see. I hope others will back me.”