Donegal County Council has begun a process to develop a regeneration strategy for Letterkenny town centre. Letterkenny 2040 is funded by the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), a flagship initiative of Project Ireland 2040 and led by Donegal County Council’s Regeneration and Development Team. The strategy will establish a “compelling and ambitious vision” for the future of the town as a competitive regional centre, attracting investment and identifying a series of projects to bring about a social, economic and environmental transformation of the town centre.
Launching the project, Cllr Donal Coyle, Mayor of the Letterkenny- Milford Municipal District said that “this project comes at a vital time for Letterkenny as we contend with the unprecedented challenges of the public health crisis, BREXIT and the climate emergency. It presents a major opportunity for the town centre to be studied in detail in collaboration with the wider community. I would encourage everyone to get involved in developing this exciting and clear strategy for the future of the town centre.”
In keeping with Project Ireland 2040, the strategy will seek to make Letterkenny a more attractive and vibrant place where people choose to live, work, invest and visit. This is likely to include a drive towards more people living and working in the town centre, while promoting sustainable forms of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport. It will also include actions to create better public spaces.
An award winning consultancy team has been appointed to help Donegal County Council bring forward this project. It is led by urban design and regeneration consultants The Paul Hogarth Company working with Hall Black Douglas Architects, WS Atkins Transport Consultants, AV Brown marketing agency and Queens University Belfast.
Team lead and Director of The Paul Hogarth Company James Hennessey, said that “Critical to the success of Letterkenny 2040 will be the participation of local people. Throughout the course of this project we will be working to engage with as many people as possible to ensure they we understand the town through their eyes and accommodate as much as possible, their hopes and aspirations for Letterkenny.”
Three phases of public engagement are planned during the year long process to develop the strategy. The first will commence on 8th February for a period of 4 weeks. This will be an opportunity for everyone including residents, business owners, schools, community groups and visitors to have their say from the outset. In particular, we are keen to hear about Letterkenny town centre today, its strengths and weaknesses and the priorities for its future.
Liam Ward, Director of Community Development and Planning Services said, “We have been working closely with our local Councillors and the wider stakeholders in Letterkenny to undertake this project and are delighted to be launching the 1st phase of consultation. This is a crucial step to co-design a roadmap of viable projects that can be further progressed toward funding programmes that arise and realise our growth ambitions for Letterkenny as the North West Regional Centre.”
Due to Covid 19 restrictions engagement will take place online through a project website and social media channels. The public are therefore warmly invited to visit www.Letterkenny2040.ie where they can find out more about the project and complete an online survey. Details for further engagement activities will be published as the project progresses, ensuring that everyone can have their say and help make Letterkenny 2040 the best possible plan for Letterkenny town centre and the wider North West Region.
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