New Town Team will be created for Roscrea's €100k Masterplan

ROSCREA is the only town in County Tipperary to benefit from government funding to create a Masterplan to develop the town centre and a new 'Town Team' group will be created to decide how the plan will shape the town's future.

Earlier this year Tipperary County Council and the members of the Municipal Council for the Roscrea area announced €100,000 funding to deliver a Town Centre First Plan for Roscrea, which focuses on how best the heart of the town can evolve to suit the needs of everyone in the community.

The funding is part of the Department of Rural and Community Affair’s 'Our Rural Future', Ireland’s Rural Development Policy 2021-2025, which aims to revitalise Ireland’s towns and villages and create vibrant and attractive places to live, work and socialise.

To secure the funding, a new Town Team made up of a wide variety of stakeholders from across Roscrea's community will be formed and followed by a new style of online public consultation portal - where the community can answer a questionnaire and submit their ideas about developing the town centre.

“The Department want the community to engage more and they want more consultation - which is a good thing”, Director of Services, Eamon Lonergan, told the monthly meeting of the Municipal Council on Monday.
Mr. Lonergan said the local authority are currently appointing consultants and the tendering process is expected to open at the end of this month.

This will be followed by a consultation phase and the creation of Roscrea's Town Team, which he described as an “exciting start for Roscrea”.

The Town Team will be made up of members of the business community, sporting organisations, Age Friendly representatives and a reflect the entire spectrum of the community and all demographics, the meeting heard.

Councillor Noel Coonan said many people in Roscrea “felt ignored” during the consultation phase of previous projects in Roscrea and pointed out that an online only form of consultation will not suit everyone in the community.

Cllr. Coonan said the local authority needs to “broaden their scope” during consultation with the public in Roscrea.

Providing an update on another project which will see the creation of Gantly Street and a new Age Friendly housing development, Mr. Lonergan said an application for €6.5-million funding was submitted at the end of April and the Council expect to hear back in approximately six months.

“I think this will be the catalyst to get this whole are moving - this application is important for us” Mr. Lonergan said.
The local authority said at the announcement of the funding that the Masterplan will “help to develop Roscrea’s own unique vision and plan for its future development.

“The Masterplan for Roscrea, once complete, will provide a basis for the town to seek support from multiple funding streams, including the Rural Regeneration Development Fund, (RRDF) and the Town & Village Renewal Schemes. The Masterplan provides an opportunity for the delivery of a co-ordinated programme of investment for the Roscrea”.