Revitalising Areas by Planning, Investment and Development (RAPID) is about getting the best resources possible into disadvantaged areas.

If an area is a designated RAPID area it helps to get services prioritized for that area and also to bring new funding into that area.

Our RAPID Areas:                                                            

• Bluebell
• Inchicore
• Kilmainham
• Rialto

An Area Implementation Team (AIT) is established in each of the RAPID areas to develop
and deliver the local RAPID plan for that area.

The AIT brings local Statutory Agencies together with representation from  local residents and voluntary groups and organisations who, in consultation with the local community identify needs and draw up the local RAPID plan.

AIT have been working to:

• Learn from the last time – evaluation of what we have done so far
• Use statistics and data available on our area – what are the most urgent needs now?
• Talk with the communities re real areas of need – what do people living in the area name as most important?
• Gather plans from Statutory Agencies and Service Providers for our area – what plans do they have for our area?

The National Approach

The new RAPID plans will focus on seven themes with the relevant statutory agency heading up each theme .
The first three themes were agreed a while ago:

• Health – improving health services and facilities
• Community Safety – reducing anti social behaviour and improving community safety
• Family Support – putting resources into helping families

Just recently two more themes were agreed:

• Physical Environment
• Education

Each theme will have a group headed up by the statutory agency with most responsibility in that area

Projects that have received funding:

• Sometimes the action is about having a Statutory Agency or a service provider do something differently in the community eg more Garda presence in response to a concern around safety
• Sometimes the action is about finding new funding to do something new and different in response to a need identified by the community eg a new playground or upgraded community facilities
• Millions of Euro has been spent already – some examples of ways in which RAPID has made a positive difference -
• Lighting and CCTV at Goldstone Court
• Play surface at Youth Centre Dolphin Pk                   
• Integrated community facility in Bluebell
• Improvement in open spaces – Bluebell, Tyrone Pl, Bernard Curtis House
• School based support programme for 8-12 yr olds 
• Playground for Dolphin House and upgrade to playground in Eamon Ceannt Pk
• Porta cabin for Dolphin House Community Centre
• Support for Bluebell, Dolphin House and Inchicore Community Development Projects