Huge interest in unveiling of Council plan for Skibbereen town

CONSULTANTS preparing the Town Centre First plan for Skibbereen have described the level of public engagement as ‘unprecedented’.

In a town with a population of about 2,000, representatives of the consultants Cunnane Stratton Reynolds, and ‘A Playful City’ said they have, since last September, received more than 930 submissions from all sectors of the community.

More than 150 people also registered to attend the public presentation at the Town Hall last week at which they were given a preview of the 170-page plan which is due to be launched in early February.

Noelle Desmond, Cork County Council’s town regeneration officer, explained to The Southern Star that only one town per local authority area was selected for the initiative.

She said Skibbereen was selected by Cork County Council due to its population size, that it has recently been flood-defended, and that it falls into the funding category for the Town Centre First initiative.

A total of €100,000 has, or will, be spent on liaising with all sectors of the community about how to holistically shape the future development of the town. She said the idea is to support all aspects of development, including roads, housing and business, but also to support individual and community projects. With ‘an agreed plan’ already in place for the early part of 2024, the expectation is that applications for any one of the 37 different projects identified will be well-placed to secure capital funding.

Information about the projects – which include ways of reducing traffic build-up in the town; the provision of wider footpaths and increased public realm; as well as making the Ilen River a feature of the town – can be viewed on storyboards at the library in Skibbereen.

Funding for the plan was provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development and it is administered by Cork County Council.

Members of the public concurred at the meeting that while Skibbereen has excellent sporting facilities, more facilities are needed for young people. They also said dereliction needs to be addressed; that there’s a need for additional tourism accommodation in the town, and greater use needs to be made of the Town Hall.