OPINION: 'Town Centre First' policy can play key role in revitalising Tullamore

LAST month Offaly County Council published an advert seeking a design consultancy service to prepare a framework document for the regeneration of Tullamore.

This is a very welcome, though much overdue, initiative by the council.

The framework will be expected to create a vision for the centre of the town up to 2040 and support the Government's “Town Centre First” policy released last year.

It will include a public realm plan, regeneration proposals and a strategy for sustainable access to Tullamore.

The aim of the Government's overall strategy is to create towns that are characterised by streets, spaces and parks and which are designed to invite people to meet, mingle and dwell.

Like many other, if not the vast majority, of towns in Ireland, Tullamore's centre has been hollowed out due to a variety of factors over the past two decades.

The development of a large retail park on the outskirts of the town led to major retailers either relocating or opening new premises there to the detriment of the town centre.

The growth of online shopping resulted in the closure of many retail outlets and left the town centre's streets pockmarked with derelict and decaying units.

The Government's “Town Centre First” policy envisagea that streets in the core of urban areas contain a variety of services and shops that provide employment opportunities, enable people to shop locally and meet the needs of the local community.

It is also envisaged that town centres should provide a range of cultural, recreational and community spaces, including scope for periodic events and festivals, that bring together community members and attract visitors and tourists.

As such it is heartening to see the long-awaited Tullamore Arts Centre nearing completion on High St as well as the redevelopment of a number of once thriving hospitality outlets such as the former Tullamore DEW Visitor Centre at Bury Quay.

In the “Town Centre First” policy there is also an emphasis on reaching places by foot rather than by car. It stresses that a town should be well connected and accessible to sustainable modes of transport, enabling a high proportion of journeys to be made by foot and/or bicycle from the immediate hinterland - the “10 minute town” concept.

Traffic should also be managed within central areas so that streets prioritise vulnerable users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, enabling them to move about safely and in comfort.

Towns should also provide a mix of housing types and tenures to cater for diverse communities in terms of age, income and mobility, the plan states.

The plan recommends the utilisation of digital technology to enhance the experience of living and working in towns, enabling greater choices in terms of location and lifestyle.

It also states that opportunities for the amenity, health and well-being of residents, workers and visitors must be prioritised.

Central to the plan is major investment in remote working, a lifestyle change which has become a feature of many of our lives in this era of Covid restrictions on travel and social interaction.

The policy promises investment for enterprise spaces, co-working hubs and remote working facilities in towns throughout the country, including Offaly and the wider Midlands.

Every cloud has a silver lining and the switch to remote working during Covid has created a whole range of possibilities for Tullamore and other similar towns which could not have been envisaged a short time ago.

Instead of being forced to move to cities young people now have a real chance to pursue careers in their home areas

We have all witnessed the closure of post offices, garda stations, pubs, shops and other amenities in rural towns and villages over the recent past and this plan offers an opportunity to reverse this decline.

But it is crucial that the Government follows through on the lofty aims contained in the plan with meaningful policy decisions over the coming years.