The North Cork town of Kanturk has been selected for the next phase of the roll out of the Town Centre First Policy.
The town has been identified as one of the next 26 towns nationally that have been approved to develop Town Centre First Plans. Kanturk will now be provided with €30,000 in funding to complete a comprehensive town plan to help develop its town centre.
North Cork Fine Gael Councillor John Paul O’Shea has welcomed the news that Kanturk has been identified as one of next 26 towns across Ireland that will develop a Town Centre First Plan as part of Phase 2 of the initiative. Cllr. O’Shea said: “I am delighted that Kanturk will be supported with funding of €30,000 to complete a comprehensive town plan to help develop its town centre. This investment is all about giving the people of Kanturk the tools they need to improve the town and make it a more attractive place in which to live, work, visit and invest. There is a lot of vacancy and dereliction in Kanturk and this plan will provide us with the opportunity now to address this head on”.
The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD published the first ever Town Centre First Plans for 26 towns across every county this week – with Skibbereen being the first town in County Cork to publish its plan.
The plans which were developed in consultation with local communities represent the vision of local people for their area and contain proposals for a diverse range of projects such as redeveloping derelict sites, creating community parks and walkways, boosting SME and tourism potential, and protecting historical landmarks.
Cork County Council appointed a Town Regeneration Officer who will now drive the implementation of the new plan for Skibbereen town and the creation of a plan for Kanturk.
Minister Humphreys, said: “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.”
Minister Humphreys also welcomed the identification of the next 26 towns who have been approved to develop Town Centre First 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.”
Town Centre First supports the objectives of the national rural development policy, Our Rural Future, in revitalising rural towns and engages communities through “Town Teams”.
Every town is different, and so local visions take account of these unique challenges, needs and opportunities.
Cllr. O’Shea added “The Town Centre First approach empowers local communities and businesses, supported by Local Authorities, to guide and direct investment to maximise the particular strengths and assets of their town.”
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.
Town Centre First also supports the objectives of the National Planning Framework and Housing for All by unlocking the potential of vacant and underused buildings to increase housing supply and attract more people to live and work in our town centres.
