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23 Oct 2025
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23 Oct 2025
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High Street in Kilkenny
61% of respondents to a recent study think pedestrianisation would enhance the livebility of Kilkenny City centre.
The Kilkenny City Centre Collaborative Town Centre Health Check Report measures citizens’ perceptions of the historic city’s commercial, heritage and cultural assets.
The report found that consumers and businesspeople felt Kilkenny City centre would benefit from investment in the historic built environment.
This includes investment in the historic building stock, enhanced liveability and accessibility for walking and cycling in the town centre, and further investment in cultural and natural heritage.
Key findings include:
The most popular reason to be in Kilkenny was being a resident (34.9%) followed by retail (27.9%).
90% of respondents purchased the majority of their clothing in Kilkenny.
61% of respondents thought pedestrianisation would enhance the liveability of the city centre.
74.4% rate live music and events in Kilkenny as either very good or good.
The report also found that there are approximately 20 vacant retail buildings in Kilkenny City Centre – this represents a ground floor retail vacancy rate of 10.10%, which is at the higher end of the recommended level of vacancy in towns and cities.
The CTCHC Programme believes that a healthy vacancy level in town and city centres should not exceed 11%.
Speaking at the launch of the report, Minister Noonan said the report highlights the importance of recognising the potential of our historic city centres through sustainable regeneration, investment and engagement with the people who live and work there.
"I look forward to the continued regeneration of Kilkenny City and will work hard to ensure that we continue to deliver on our commitment to a ‘Town Centre First’ policy," he said.
Mayor of Kilkenny, Councillor David Fitzgerald said the report provides extremely useful primary data that will enable Kilkenny County Council, working in partnership with Kilkenny City Taskforce and other organisations, to focus resources and supports as the CTCHC Programme moves into Phase 2 – Town/City Centre Building Renewal and Investment Plans.
"This is a challenging yet exciting time for historic city centres all over Ireland," he added.
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