Donegal County Council has opened a public consultation process on the Letterkenny 2040 Draft Masterplan.
Letterkenny 2040 is a process to prepare a Regeneration Strategy for Letterkenny town centre to identify ambitious priorities for it as an attractive, accessible and thriving place. It is a project to imagine the future of the town centre to 2040 and beyond and the public are invited to have their say.
This exciting project is funded by the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), a flagship initiative of Project Ireland 2040 and match funded by Donegal County Council. The strategy is shaping a compelling vision for the future of Letterkenny as the Regional Centre in the North West, attracting investment and identifying a series of projects to bring about a powerful social, economic and environmental transformation.
Opening the consultation process, Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh, Cathaoirleach of the Letterkenny and Milford Municipal District said: “I am delighted to see this strong regeneration focus on Letterkenny town centre and to bring the Draft Masterplan to the public to welcome feedback on the projects and ideas that have been included. The Draft Masterplan contains lots of creative and exciting ideas to enhance Letterkenny town centre as an attractive and vibrant place, positioning us for future investment while responding to considerable challenges such as the climate crisis”. He added, “I would encourage the whole community to engage with this consultation process over the next four weeks.”
The Draft Masterplan has been prepared by an award winning consultancy team led by urban design and regeneration consultants The Paul Hogarth Company and also comprising Hall Black Douglas Architects, WS Atkins Transport Consultants, AV Brown and Queens University Belfast. The Draft Masterplan is built upon what people said during the first consultation phase in February 2021.
Team lead and Director of The Paul Hogarth Company James Hennessey, said: “The Draft Masterplan is centred around 4 principal concepts relating to Main Street, Pearse and Port Roads, green and blue infrastructure and a town square and transport hub. By listening to the people of Letterkenny during the first phase of consultation and through our study of the town, we see huge opportunity to unlock the potential of the town centre. The Draft Masterplan shows how this can happen by creating and connecting more green space, restoring buildings, prioritising and enabling walking and cycling, repopulating the town centre as a great place for homes and as a result, making Letterkenny a go-to destination”.
Liam Ward, Director of Community Development and Planning Services added: “The publication of the Draft Masterplan is a key milestone to bring together all of the regeneration priorities for the town centre into one clear, visionary and exciting Strategy. It forms part of a wider programme of regeneration initiatives which are also enabled by the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund and which are being progressed in parallel. These include design and development of walking and cycling infrastructure, strategic land acquisition for the purposes of regeneration and, capital investment in the development of the Cathedral Quarter and the old Courthouse. Taken together, there is a clear momentum and many ambitious and game-changing opportunities for the future of Letterkenny as our strong Regional Centre in the North West City Region.”
Sinead McCauley, Executive Planner of the Regeneration and Development Team of Donegal County Council said: “The community in Letterkenny has already played a key role in how the Draft Masterplan is emerging but it is still a work in progress. Critical to the success of Letterkenny 2040 will be the continued participation of local people and therefore we would like to hear from as many people as possible in relation to the Draft Masterplan. Following the Draft Masterplan, the project will develop more detailed design ideas for key regeneration sites and for further consultation in the New Year.”
Get involved
There are lots of ways to get involved during Thursday 11th November to Thursday 9th December 2021:
- View the Draft Masterplan consultation panels at the project website www.letterkenny2040.ie
- Complete the short online survey at www.letterkenny2040.ie
- Email more detailed comments to letterkenny@paulhogarth.com by 9th December 2021.
- Drop into the former A-Wear shop on Main Street, Letterkenny on Thursday 25th November, between 11am-6.30pm to view the consultation panels and talk to the team.
- Keep up-to-date on Donegal County Councils Facebook and Twitter
- Follow the project on Facebook @Letterkenny2040
- Hashtag #letterkenny2040
A consultation event is also scheduled for schools on Friday 26th November at the former A-Wear shop. The team would love to hear from young people so if your school would like to take part, then please get in touch atletterkenny@paulhogarth.com
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