Three new jobs will be created as Council look set to receive a cash injection of more than €1.3 million as part of a five year cross-border rivers project.
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council has been offered the €1.3m share of an overall €14m pot to help restore an area of the River Blackwater, close to the border.
It has been recommended councillors agree to the funding from the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) at a meeting of the Environment Committee this evening (Tuesday).
With 100 per cent of the funding coming externally, it is a decision widely expected to get a unanimous thumbs up, and will allow Council to offer up three new roles for its duration.
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The aim if the programme is to establish three cross border river restoration projects in the Blackwater, Melvin/Arney and Finn catchments.
It is hoped that these schemes – according to a report tabled before elected representatives tonight – will “contribute to achieving good status through the implementation of catchment restoration actions, capacity building of the local community, and provision of a platform for cross border knowledge exchange between community, governance, policy and scientific stakeholders”.
The project, which is 60 months in duration, has a partnership of seven bodies from both Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland.
Donegal County Council is the lead partner while academic partners include Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) and Ulster University (UU).
Council partners include Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council (ABC).
Expert partners include Geological Survey Ireland (GSI) and British Geological Survey (BGS). State agency partners include Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) and the Loughs Agency (LA).
These partners will also contribute to improvements in the Blackwater.
ABC Council will receive exactly 1,311,622 euros.
