BMW Regional Assembly Issues €1m to Sligo Arts Centre - 13th April 2010

The Border, Midland and Western Regional Assembly have this week issued payment of €985,000 to Sligo County Council towards the redevelopment and refurbishment of the Model Arts and Niland Gallery. This represents the first payment of a total €2.4m earmarked for this project which is funded through the Assembly’s €17.1m European Regional Development Funded programme for urban development and regeneration projects in the BMW Region’s Gateway and Hubs cities and towns.

Speaking from the BMW Region Assembly’s headquarters in Ballaghaderreen Co. Roscommon, the Director of the Assembly Mr. Gerry Finn stated, ‘We are delighted to be in a position to announce the completion of the first stage of a significant commitment of capital funding by the BMW Regional Assembly to the Model Arts and Niland Gallery project in Sligo. This centre for arts once completed has the potential to make a major contribution to both the cultural and economic development of Sligo. It presents an opportunity to build upon of the reputation of Sligo as a centre for the creative industries and to develop the potential that exist for attracting both domestic and international visitors to the North West’.

The Director added, ‘This programme represents a strategic investment by the BMW Regional Assembly in the Region’s Gateways and Hubs as identified in the National Spatial Strategy, this Government Strategy seeks to facilitate balanced regional development. In these constrained economic times it is vital that the development of the identified drivers of economic growth in our Region continue to receive as much financial and strategic support as possible’.