Update on Roscrea town centre plan
The Roscrea Town Team met with the Town Regeneration Officer recently to review the final version of the Town Centre First Plan for Roscrea. The ambitious plan for the town lists a new vision which is “a unified Roscrea will use its strengths - its people, buildings, infrastructure and natural environment - to create a vibrant, caring and prosperous market town”.
The study area for the plan focused on the town centre and areas within a 10-minute walking distance from the town centre.
The Town Team received a presentation from Áine McCarthy, Town Regeneration Officer, in relation to the proposed concepts for the town and the actions required in order to begin the implementation of the plan.
Brian King, Town Champion, noted that the projects identified in the plan are all concepts at present and for the larger scale public realm and infrastructure projects such as Castle Street, Main Street and the Laneways, the public, retailers, businesses, etc, would be consulted on any potential designs as part of the process. The advancement of any design will involve public consultation and it will also be subject to funding.
NEW TERMS OF REFERENCE AND GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE
The Town Team agreed a new Terms of Reference and Governance Structure at the meeting and went on to review the Action Plan for the Town Team for the short, medium and long term.
Ms McCarthy advised the team of the potential to avail of grants currently available such as the Outdoor Infrastructure Recreation Fund, Town and Village Renewal, and Rural Regeneration Development Fund and added she will work with the group and a multi-disciplinary team in Tipperary County Council to prepare funding applications for these schemes. The Rural Recreation Development Fund is the most likely avenue to secure funding for the large public realm projects and this will be a lengthy and phased process given the scale of the projects.
The Roscrea Town Centre Plan is an appendix to the Roscrea Local Area Plan and it is expected that the plan will be launched in September once the Roscrea Local Area Plan is brought before the council.
FURTHER DETAILS
More information on the Town Centre First Plan for Roscrea is available on the council’s website by visiting www.tipperarycoco.ie/roscreatowncentrefirstplan.