Cork City Council Approves €200,000 Grant to Revitalise St Patrick's Street

Cork City Council has agreed a new €200,000 fund to help property owners on St Patrick's Street improve their building frontages, with grants of up to €10,000 available per property.

The City Centre Façade Improvement Grant 2026 was approved at the city council's December meeting on Monday night, alongside the adoption of the City Centre Action Plan 2025-2030.

The scheme aims to enhance Cork's main retail street and create a more attractive and welcoming city centre whilst boosting economic vibrancy. Property owners located between St Augustine's Church at the southern end of St Patrick's Street and Lavitt's Quay/Merchant's Quay at the northern end will be eligible to apply when the scheme opens early in the new year.

Two Grant Schemes Available

The fund will be administered by the City Centre Development and Operations Directorate (CCDOD) and consists of two key elements.

The St Patrick's Street Painting Grant Scheme will provide support of up to €5,000, or 25% of the costs (excluding VAT), whichever is lower, to help improve building façades through painting and minor external works.

The St Patrick's Street Shopfront Grant Scheme focuses on upgrading and restoring shopfronts at street level. It will encourage businesses to adopt traditional designs that enhance the historic streetscape, with grant support of up to €5,000, or 25% of costs (excluding VAT), whichever is lower.

Business owners may apply for funding under both schemes for a single property. Applications will also be accepted where property owners are already in receipt of other grant aid, such as the vacant property grant.

Applications Open Early 2026

Full terms and conditions will be published when the scheme opens for applications in early 2026. The closing date for completed applications will be March 2026.

The initiative aligns with the objectives of the City Development Plan, which seeks to protect and enhance Cork's historic streetscape while promoting high-quality shop design. The scheme will encourage the use of traditional materials, sensitive signage, and visually appealing façades that reflect Cork city's unique identity.

Part of Broader City Centre Strategy

The CCDOD, established over a year ago, has been working on several initiatives including the launch of the city centre wardens scheme, an enhanced street cleaning regime, and now this new façade improvement grant.

The City Centre Action Plan 2025-2030, also adopted on Monday night, provides a blueprint for further improvement. The plan presents a clear ambition to enhance Ireland's second city as a vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable city through targeted revitalisation, regeneration, and accessibility initiatives.

The plan is framed around three pillars: revitalisation, adopting a people-focused approach; regeneration, directly intervening in specific sites whilst respecting Cork's heritage; and accessibility, making it easier for all sections of society to engage with the city centre.

These initiatives, combined with the recent record allocation of gardaí to Cork City and the introduction of high visibility policing in the city centre, are having a positive impact on the city centre.

However, Cork City Council has acknowledged it requires funding support to deliver the full plan and has pledged to proactively engage with key enablers to achieve its objectives.