Urlingford and Graignamanagh revealed as part of first national Town Centre First plan

The Kilkenny towns of Urlingford and Graignamanagh have today 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 it's Town Centre First plan.

Callan was one of a small group of towns to benefit from the pilot scheme, in 2022.

The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, and Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government and Planning, Kieran O’Donnell TD have today (Wednesday) published the first ever Town Centre First plans for 26 towns across every county. 

Projects will include redeveloping derelict sites, creating community parks and walkways, boosting SME and tourism potential and protecting historical landmarks. 

In addition, 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 the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, the Town and Village Renewal Scheme, the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Town Centre First Heritage Revival (THRIVE) Scheme and the Historic Towns Initiative.

"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. These Plans and the new Town Regeneration Officers are about ensuring there is a strategic and coherent approach at local level to tackling vacancy and dereliction in our towns and villages," said Minister Humphreys, at the launch.

“I am delighted to publish the first ever Town Centre First Plans today and I want to commend the local Communities and Town Teams for their work in developing these comprehensive locally-led plans.

“I am pleased to also announce the next 26 successful towns across the country who we will support with funding of €30,000 each to complete a comprehensive town plan to help develop their town centres.”

A new website has also been launched where people can find out how to get involved. 

Launched in 2022, Town Centre First is driving one of the biggest ever programme of investments in rural Ireland and has a core aim of confronting dereliction and the general decline in the health of Ireland’s town centres. 

To find out more about the initiative and how communities can become involved, visit www.towncentrefirst.ie