Revitalisation Task Force Announce Phase 1 Plans to Enhance Tipperary Town
The Tipperary Town Revitalisation Task Force latest announcement explores exciting new Phase 1 projects. In preparing a three-year Strategy and Action Plan, the Task Force has also focused on progressing key projects as a first phase, and funding has been sought to appoint architects and bring the capital developments to shovel readiness through detailed design and planning.
1. Tipperary Youth Services & Further Education and Training Centre The redevelopment of Dan Breen House as a Youth Services & Further Education and Training Centre will provide a state-of-the-art facility for young people, for upskilling and will rejuvenate a historic but currently vacant building in a key location in the town. The proposal encompasses the demolition of the old library and the addition of a modern two-storey glass fronted extension, along with the restoration of the outbuildings into dedicated workspaces for training and creative purposes. Youth Work Ireland Tipperary and the Tipperary Education and Training Board will lead the proposal.
2. Canon Hayes Recreation Centre (CHRC) CHRC was once the envy of every other town in Tipperary, but the Centre building has become tired and dated and needs thorough modernisation. The Board of the Centre aims to provide state of the art facilities for the he ‘flat hollow’ kick about area, and creating linkages to the planned River Ara Walkway, St John’s Walkway and long-term links to Solohead via Limerick Junction.
These phase-one projects are part of the wider revitalisation efforts being undertaken in the town by Tipperary Town Revitalisation Task Force. They reflect the task force work over 18 people of the town, and to serve as a lynchpin for social inclusion through recreation and sport in the future. The task force will work with the Board to upgrade the centre, and will partner with local groups and hard to reach communities to increase recreation and sporting participation in the town. The Centre has also recently partnered with Tipperary Sports Partnership to establish a Community Sports Hub at CHRC.
3. Tipperary Equine and Outdoor Activity Experience. Unlike other towns in Tipperary such as Cashel (Rock of Cashel) and Cahir (Cahir Castle & Swiss Cottage), Tipperary Town does not have a key tourism attraction to drive visitor numbers, employment, and investment in the area. The aim of this project at Tipperary Racecourse is to develop the racecourse into a modern and commercially progressive equine and sporting tourism attraction, open all year, and capable of attracting over 100,000 visitors annually. An all-weather flood-lit track is being developed by Horse Racing Ireland, and the task force will work with HRI to develop a visitor experience that will offer extensive land and water based recreational activities year-round, as well as opening equine related visitor experiences, museum and walking trails. The development has the potential to act as a focal point for tourism for Tipperary and the Mid-West Region
4. Tipperary Hills Enhancement The objective of this project is to enhance and further develop a recreational amenity of ‘The Hills’ for both people of the town and environs, as well as visitors to the town. Working closely with the very successful Pitch and Put Club, this project will improve access, increased pathways, provide a new play area that is accessible to all, new picnic benches, biodiversity planting, upgrading months of intensive consultation, research, and planning. Carmel Fox, Chairperson, TTR TF stated ‘these proposals have the potential to act as major drivers of economic activity and social inclusion in Tipperary Town, and I wish to commend all of the partners for their tireless efforts in recent months in preparing this detailed proposal’. Pat Slattery, Director of Services for Community & Economic Development, TCC stated that ‘Funding has been sought to progress these important projects to address major areas of need in the town including high unemployment and lack of employment opportunities, low educational attainment and social exclusion. Choosing these projects was a result of strong collaboration, planned interconnectivity and developing common goals between multiple partners’.
The four projects were recently submitted as part of competitive bids to the requisite Government departments, and we await the decision later this year. If successful, the project will progress through detailed design and planning stages as a first phase of development.