1. Rural Regeneration
A bit more vague?

2. (A study of Rural Policy 2005 (DARD commissioned PWC Report))
Rural Regeneration
No specific Rural Development / Rural Policy for NI
EU Rural Development Programme
‘The availability of EU funds is broadly acknowledged as instrumental to the fact that NI has had any rural development at all’
(A study of Rural Policy 2005 (DARD commissioned PWC Report))

3. Rural Regeneration
Regeneration Bill – no real impact in rural areas with policy focus on urban regeneration and neighbourhood renewal in areas with populations over 5,000
DAERA responsible (through RDP)
Settlements with populations of 5,000 or less (defined as rural)

4. Origins of Rural Development
Traced back to the mid 1980s
1985 – EU Anti-Poverty Programme initiated the Rural Action Project to demonstrate the potential for rural development in NI
Report on Rural Action Project published in 1989
This combined with EU Report ‘Future of Rural Society’ 1988 led to the then SOS establishing an Inter-Departmental Committee in 1990 to look at the best way to tackle social and economic problems in the most deprived rural areas in NI

5. Origins of Rural Development
The Committee recommended that:
DANI should become lead Department responsible for tackling the needs of most disadvantaged rural areas
DANI would appoint a small team of local co-ordinators from across the public sector to co-ordinate responses to the needs of rural areas
A Rural Development Steering Group should be established to co-ordinate the work of government departments and agencies
A Rural Development Council would be established to advise government on rural development issues and to work with local groups to encourage ‘bottom up’ local development; and
DANI would set up a special fund to support rural development projects

6. RDC
2006: RPA recommended transfer of RDC delivery function to Local Government and its role in policy development to Central government
2009: Independent Organisation

7. Rural Regeneration
This made way for the delivery of LEADER via local councils and the establishment of Local Action Groups (LAGs)
Current RDP to LAGs worth £70m
Suite of measures including rural business development, access to services, village renewal, rural broadband, cooperation
£10 m towards rural tourism

8. Rural Regeneration Tackling Rural Poverty & Social Isolation
Mix of resource and capital funding
Budget proposals – cessation of all ‘rural affairs’ programmes

9. Rural Regeneration Rural Needs Act 2016
Statutory duty to consider rural needs
Operational 1 June 2017 for government departments & local councils and public authorities 1 June 2018

10. Rural Regeneration Slow burner to something quite significant
RDP, Peace, IFI (Crisp programme), Interreg, mainstream DARD, other partners
As programmes changed
RDP remained, TRPSI evolved
Future?

11. Rural Regeneration Where should rural regeneration sit?
What will happen in absence of EU RDP?
What will replace CAP Pillar 2?
Will LEADER be retained?
What will rural development look like post 2020?

12. Rural Regeneration Need for localised approach to Rural Development
Rural Development Policy for NI
Adequately financed (working on basis can’t be worse off as result of Brexit)
Need to strengthen the integration of local initiatives and rural capacity building into mainstream policy making, in particular bottom up approaches such as LEADER

13. Rural Regeneration
A focus upon entrepreneurship skills and confidence, new enterprises and diversification is required
Sector specific readiness programmes to support rural communities and businesses to prepare for change
Consider how we can attract and retain talent in rural areas to meet the needs of rural businesses
Overcome connectivity barriers to attract labour into (and retain young people) in rural areas

14. Rural Regeneration
Whole area of access to services and find new and innovative ways of delivering services
Village renewal and regeneration creating attractive places to invest, live and work in

15. Rural becomes less of a priority
The Alternative?
Rural becomes less of a priority
Rural gets forgotten

16. .