Open to Retail and Hospitality Businesses based in Longford

You may be eligible for up to €600 (or 50% of costs) to upgrade and enhance your shopfront.

Objectives:

• To support the retail sector in its efforts to present businesses in their best light, helping to maintain vibrant and dynamic town and village centres.
• To acknowledge the significant cost pressures facing the retail sector and to help ease those challenges wherever possible.
• To sustain vibrant town centres that continue to appeal to shoppers and visitors and to assist those retailers in the high-density town core areas to continue to run viable and sustainable enterprises.

Incentive:

The principal objective of the Shop Front Enhancement Scheme Incentive is to encourage or support Retailers in Town and Village centres to enhance the physical appearance of their premises, by supporting the cost of planned works.

The maximum support available to any individual applicant is €600 or 50% of the cost of the works procured, whichever is less.

Eligibility:

Supports are exclusive to retail businesses, conditional on:

• The business being located in an area designated by the Local Authority as a core retail area
• The rates due to the Local Authority being paid in full for the current year.

Support Available:

The support will be available to qualifying businesses in any one year.  Only one grant will be approved per unit.  Applicants cannot apply for further support under this revised scheme.

Physical Improvements -  The following works are deemed eligible for support

1. A) Exterior works to the shop-front of a qualifying building to include:

• painting,
• replacement of windows/doors,
• new signage,
• installation of floral displays and window boxes,
• repair and re-instatement of shop fronts,
• ridge tiles,
• pedestrian access improvements (which in particular support any Age Friendly Initiative)
• Maximum support available 50% of qualifying expenditure up to a maximum grant of €600. Grant paid on evidence of expenditure being incurred. Any works should comply with Development Plan Standards and should be in compliance with all Planning requirements.

Approval

Applications will be assessed by the Business Incentive Scheme sub-committee. A limited fund is set aside to support this scheme in 2026 and approvals are subject to funds being available at time of assessment.

Marketing of the Scheme

The scheme will be advertised through print and social media channels. An application form will be given to all applicants who send in an Expression of Interest in the Scheme

Scheme Duration

The Scheme will run for 2026 and continuation of the Scheme, subject to budget being made available, beyond 2026 will be decided at the last Economic & Rural Enterprise Development SPC meeting of 2026.

Eligible works under the scheme include:

1. Repair and reinstatement of all or any part of a shopfront fixture that is visible from the street, including the first and upper floors of premises (subject to the associated ground floor unit being in commercial use).
2. Reinstatement of architectural or historic features that have formed part of the buildings’ design and character but may have been lost or damaged over time.
3. Repainting of shopfronts. Colour schemes should co-ordinate with adjoining shopfronts (as per the agreement of the Planning Authority) and upper floors of buildings should be painted to blend in appropriately with the shopfronts.
4. Repair and reinstatement of guttering and down-pipes (to match historic materials where appropriate).
5. Repainting and/or re-rendering of prominent elevations.
6. Repair of external stonework and brickwork and replacement of stonework or brickwork which forms part of the stall riser of the shopfront.
7. Removal of neon signs, banners or other inappropriate signage affixed to front elevations or side elevations visible from the street and replacement with signage in line with the Longford County Development Plan standards.
8. Permanent removal of external security shutters and installation of suitable replacements.
9. Pedestrian access improvements, which in particular support the Age Friendly Initiative.

How to Apply for a Grant under the Scheme:

The application form must be completed in full, signed and submitted with all requested documentation to:

Local Enterprise Office, Longford County Council, Áras an Chontae, Longford.

Tel:  043- 3344243   Email:  marydonohoe@longfordcoco.ie

Applications may be made by the owner of the premises or by the lessee with the owner’s written consent.  The completed Application Form must be accompanied by a description of the proposed works

Click here for full details of the scheme

For further details, contact Mary at the Local Enterprise Office - marydonohoe@longfordcoco.ie or click here for application form.