A blueprint for the future of Nenagh

Details of a plan to boost the offering in Nenagh’s town centre and ensure that the urban core thrives into the future were presented to public representatives at the June meeting of the Nenagh Municipal District by District Administrator, Rosemary Joyce.

Ms Joyce said consultants had been appointed to draw up an Integrated Urban Strategy for the town. This Town Centre First Plan -  overseen by a Town Team - will be a blueprint for the development of the town over the next 15 years.

The aspirations set out in the document will aid in making applications for investment in Nenagh through the Urban Renewal Development Fund and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund.

Ms Joyce said the plan will set out a series of priority actions to be implemented in the town, that will be delivered subject to funding being secured. Among the aims would be preserving and protecting the built heritage, tackling dereliction and maximising footfall.

She said the town had some beautiful architectural assets in its Cultural Quarter both on and surrounding Banba Square. These included the Castle, Courthouse, Governor’s House, three story Goal Block, two churches, Olympian statues and the former Rialto Cinema.

Also included in this rich cluster of built heritage was the town’s tourist office, arts centre, old Presbyterian church and the Gate Lodge where 17 men, including the Cormack brothers, had been executed.

Ms Joyce said Nenagh was a town that has a lot of stories to tell through its old buildings. The concept for the strategy was to pull all of this together and bring back into use the old buildings and greatly enhance the public realm while also maximising the potential for tourism with Nenagh as the gateway to Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands district.

The strategy would include proposals to increase footfall in the town and attract new jobs while protecting existing employment.

“Nenagh is a town that is doing well, but we cannot rest on our laurels. We have to keep pushing,” said Ms Joyce.

The success of the Dromineer Nenagh Literary Festival, which attracted people from all over the world, was an example of what could be achieved when efforts were made to promote the town and its hinterland, she said.

STRATEGIC LOCATION

The town was located in a very strategic position, being such a short distance from Limerick City and on the M7 axis to the Midlands region and Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands. Its central location could be exploited to maximise its true potential.

The feedback the council had received from the public was that tackling vacancy and dereliction was the number one priority and was something that would have to be addressed under the strategy. Other concerns raised included anti-social behaviour and a lack of parking.

Ms Joyce said a big asset the town already had was the large number of clubs and organisations that were doing great work in the community. The aim would be to look at how such groups could be used to further improve the lives of people, from the very young to those who are retired.

“We are also really lucky as a town that we have fantastic retailers and that the vacancy rate for commercial premises’ in Nenagh is the lowest in Tipperary. But we need to keep it that way and protect our local businesses,” said Ms Joyce.

The town had a strong sense of local identity, shops that attracted people from all over the country and a variety of businesses that provided that personal touch for those who came through their doors. The strategy would strive to preserve those great attributes.

Ms Joyce said a plan by the council to create a dedicated transport hub at the Railway Station would also be included as part of the strategy.

Also being looked at under the strategy would be ways to attract more people to live in the town centre, because it was initiatives such as this that would keep the urban core alive.

Ms Joyce said there had been very strong participation by citizens who fed into a public consultation process. Some 880 electronic responses had been received from people suggesting ways forward for the town.

Cllr Séamie Morris said that what had been outlined by Ms Joyce was amazing. “Nenagh is not going too bad, but we cannot take our eye off the ball,” he said. “Nenagh is lucky to have people like Ms Joyce driving this.”

Ms Joyce replied: “This is very much a team effort involving the Town Team, the different local organisations and you, the councillors. Without you and the entire effort, nothing will happen.”