Fingal County Council is encouraging local hospitality and tourism providers to apply for grant funding under Fáilte Ireland’s new Outdoor Dining Enhancement Investment Scheme aimed at assisting the sector increase their outdoor dining capacity.Grants of up to €4,000 are available under the Outdoor Dining Enhancement & Accessories for Tourism & Hospitality Business strand of the Scheme to facilitate greater capacity in outdoor dining by supporting hospitality businesses with upgrading and enhancing venues and public spaces and implementing weather-proofing solutions to facilitate year-round outdoor dining. Individual tourism and hospitality businesses where food is sold for consumption on the premises including hotels, attractions, cafes, restaurants and pubs are invited to apply for funding.Its aim is to expand on the work carried out by local authorities last year in supporting businesses and will support individual independent hospitality and tourism businesses towards the cost of equipment to provide additional outdoor enhancement and facilitate these businesses to increase their outdoor dining capacity for the summer of 2021.Costs for outdoor tables, chairs,umbrellas, electric heaters, screens, wind breaks, plant stands and wooden platforms will be covered under the Scheme. Expenditure must be incurred between April 1 2020 and September 30 2021.Applications can now be made via www.fingal.ie/outdoordining. (nb: not available through this media) contact the County Council.This investment scheme is being delivered under the Fáilte Ireland ‘Opening the Outdoors’ strategic pillar which aims to capitalise our outdoor assets and re-imagine our urban spaces.Mayor of Fingal Cllr David Healy said: “This is a very welcome initiative to support the local tourism and hospitality sector which has been so badly affected during the Covid-19 pandemic. Upgrading and improving spaces to provide for outdoor dining will play a significant part in allowing businesses to provide the necessary facilities to reopen in compliance with public health guidelines. Chief Executive AnnMarie Farrelly said: “Fingal County Council is delighted to be working with Fáilte Ireland on this scheme which will support the hospitality and tourism sectors as they begin to re-open following the most recent period of closure. I am very conscious of the difficulties businesses across the county have faced and this scheme, which will enable the sector increase their dining and seating capacity, is another important initiative in allowing them to reopen in a safe manner.”