Progress report sought for ambitious Kildare plan

A councillor has sought an update sought for an ambitious Town Centre First Plan which relates to one town located in a North Kildare Municipal District (MD).

At the latest Clane-Maynooth MD meeting, which took place on Friday, November 7 last, Independent Cllr Pádraig McEvoy asked Kildare County Council (KCC) to provide an update "on the measures being taken towards the delivery of the objectives set out in the Clane Town Centre First Plan?"

In response, KCC issued a lengthy response to his query.

KCC said via the report it presented at the meeting: "The Clane Town Centre First (TCF) Plan was successfully completed in
2024 by the Town Regeneration Team, in collaboration with the Clane Town Team, as part of the initial phase of TCF funding.

"The TCF Plan outlines a future vision for Clane through the delivery of 21 proposed projects."

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'PROJECTS ARE BEING ADVANCED'

In addition, KCC told Cllr McEvoy that, at present, four of these projects — identified in the Clane TCF Plan as HI1, HI4, HI5 & AU2 — "are being advanced" under the TCF Measure 3 Suite of Supports.

KCC elaborated: "These projects include new town gateways design, town branding, wayfinding improvements, and a new design for the Liffey Walk."

Furthermore, KCC told Cllr McEvoy that a funding application had been submitted by the Town Regeneration Team under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme for the upgrade of the existing playground, Project AU1, and that it is currently awaiting the outcome of this application.

"A separate Category 2 application was submitted for funding of €321,616.00 under the Rural Regeneration Development Fund (RRDF) for Project PE2 – The Abbey and Millicent Road Upgrades," KCC added. "While we have recently received "confirmation that this application was unsuccessful, we are awaiting feedback which will help to inform future submissions."

Responding to KCC's answer, Cllr McEvoy commended the report, and added that it was "very detailed".

He then asked KCC if the MD's members could receive "a multi-year view of what is needed for Public Realm projects from Local Property Tax".

Cllr McEvoy also suggested to KCC: "I would like maybe for the Finance Committee [of KCC] or yourselves [referring to KCC] to come back to us in Quarter 1 of 2026 — to come back to us with a strategy."

In response to his comments, a representative of KCC said that KCC would look into both the question and the suggestion put forward by Cllr McEvoy.

Independent Cllr Pádraig McEvoy. Photograph credit: kildarecoco.ie

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Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.