West Tyrone Sinn Fein Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

Sinn Féin welcome as Rural Development Fund Opens for Business

Published: 30 June, 2009


Sinn Féin representatives in West Tyrone have welcomed today's opening of applications for 2 of the principle measures of Rural Development Funding in the North West Cluster Area saying that it heralds one the most substantial ever capital investments in the rural economy and in rural communities throughout Omagh, Strabane, Derry and Limavady council areas.

In a joint statement, Strabane Sinn Fein Council Chair Kieran Mc Guire and Omagh Councillor Frankie Donnelly who are the party's West Tyrone representatives on the North West Cluster of the Rural Development Programme said,

"We have been working extremely hard to ensure the speediest possible roll out of the programme measures locally and are now delighted that we are now in a position to go live with the application process for Measures 3.1 (Diversification into Non -Agricultural Activities) and 3.2 (Business Creation and Development) under the Programme.

"These two measures alone account for almost 60% of the total allocation of £18, 484,113 funding announced by Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew for the North West Cluster Area and we want to make sure that diversification/business and development projects throughout Strabane and Omagh are in a position to secure maximum benefit from this major traunch of funding.

"Sinn Fein has been networking with rural stakeholders throughout West Tyrone, including holding a Rural Development Programme Seminar at the Mellon Country Inn to ensure that interested parties would be in a state of readiness when the application process went live and we would now encourage a major take up of this golden opportunity for the regeneration of our rural communities. ENDS

Note to editors: Applications for Measures 3.1 (Diversification into Non -Agricultural Activities) and 3.2 (Business Creation and Development) open today 30 June and will close at 12 noon on Friday 7 August 2009. An advertisement to this effect has been placed in all of the local newspapers across the Cluster area.
For application info contact: ARC north west Office contact details are as follows:
ARC north west
1 Market Street
Omagh
BT78 1EE
Tel: 028 8225 0202
Fax: 028 8224 0265

The website address is: www.arcnorthwest.com