Town Centre First Plans to transform Kilkenny towns

CAPTION ABOVE: Annette Fitzpatrick, Town Regeneration Officer, KK County Council, Marie Doyle and Dympna Hayes, Urlingford Town Team, Sean McKeown, Director of Services, KK County Council, Heather Humphreys, Minister for Rural and Community Development and Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Kieran O’Donnell. Picture: Andres Poveda.

The Kilkenny towns of Urlingford and Graignamanagh have been revealed as part of a new Town Centre First Plan.
Under the plan, which was developed in consultation with the local community and represents the vision of local people for their area, Urlingford will benefit from a diverse range of projects.

Meanwhile, €30,000 goes to Graignamanagh to begin developing its Town Centre First plan.
Callan was one of a small group of towns to benefit from the pilot scheme.

The policy aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction, and breathe new life into town centres across the country.

Kilkenny County Council adopted a Masterplan for Urlingford last September, at the Castlecomer Municipal District Meeting.
The purpose of the Masterplan is to guide the development of Urlingford into the future and to influence and deliver on real change for the town in order to make it a more attractive destination in which to live, work, visit and do business. Before it was formally adopted by the Council, the Council arranged for extensive local consultations on the draft Masterplan, which was prepared by Turley Consultants.

Some of the actions detailed in the plan are already under way - including a project to open a remote working hub in the town’s former Bank of Ireland building and the refurbishment of the community hall.

The Masterplan in Urlingford has the broad backing of the Urlingford Town Team, who were delighted to have the opportunity to put forward their views on the draft. If realised, the plan will transform Urlingford into an attractive, vibrant and truly sustainable community where people want to live and work, grow up and grow old, the Team say.

There are 34 actions set out in the plan, which address social and economic issues, as well as responding to opportunities in the areas of leisure tourism, remote working, digitalisation and climate action.

UTT has found the Masterplan to be a really useful tool to guide their efforts, particularly when it comes to seeking funding to support the delivery of any of the priorities set out in the plan. However, the group highlighted the importance of having an implementation and delivery plan, with timelines if possible, if there is to be local ‘buy in’ to the Masterplan, as well as the need for ongoing support from Kilkenny County Council.

A new Town Regeneration Officer has been appointed in every local authority to drive implementation of the new plans with the support of Government funding through several funding streams.
“Communities are at the heart of rural Ireland. Town Centre First is all about empowering people to develop a vision for their town that can make it a better place to live, work, invest in and enjoy,” said Minister Heather Humphreys, launching the national plans.
To find out more about the initiative visit www.towncentrefirst.ie