Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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In May this year, I announced €15 million of funding for Coillte as part of a new five year strategic partnership between my Department and Coillte to enhance outdoor recreational facilities on Coillte-owned land and to support increased tourism and economic activity in rural areas. This builds on the previous 5 year agreement which provided funding of €11 million over the period 2017-2021 and represents a significant investment by the Government in the development of these assets which will benefit rural communities and visitors alike.

Over the last 2 years we have seen a major increase in the number of people accessing outdoor recreation infrastructure. Coillte are uniquely placed to assist in building on that demand to ensure that people can continue to enjoy the unique advantages offered by the Irish countryside.

Coillte are Ireland’s largest landowner and are also the largest provider of outdoor recreation in Ireland by providing significant outdoor recreation infrastructure across its properties. They have over 260 recreational forests, 12 forest parks, 3000km of walking trails and six world class mountain biking trails throughout the country.

The funding provided by my Department will see Coillte further develop their outdoor recreation facilities across its recreational sites in order to meet the increased demand for access to its amenities. Works include maintenance and development of trails, cycleways, play areas, upgrading of car parking and toilet facilities to help manage the growing number of visitors.

The development of outdoor amenities is also central to the new National Outdoor Recreation Strategy, which will be launched later this year.