Council must not forget Dublin’s urban villages when spending Government's outdoor seating grants.

This week the government announced €17 million to support those in the hospitality industry to create outdoor seating areas. The grants will be available to individual businesses and to Local Authorities and will enable people to return to pubs and restaurants this summer as the covid restrictions lift. However Dublin North West Fianna Fáil TD, Paul McAuliffe has warned Dublin City Council not to forget the city’s urban villages when applying for this funding.

Many coffee shops , restaurants and pubs in our urban villages across the city could benefit from this scheme but they are worried that it will be spent on city centre projects alone. We have great urban villages in the city with great Tidy Towns groups improving them. This investment could help local businesses and improve the local streetscape.

All parts of the city have been heavily impacted by the restrictions and we need to make sure that we support them equally too. This scheme also gives us an opportunity to invest in local villages, improve street safety and create opportunities to enjoy a street culture which we see in other cities long after the pandemic is over.

Businesses can apply for grants of up to €4,000 each to invest in outdoor seating and other amenities while grants worth up to €200,000 are available to local authorities such as Dublin City Council. The scheme will be run by Fáilte Ireland and local authorities around the country.