Town regeneration plan to focus on nine specific areas

Detailed plans for the Bailieborough Town Regeneration Project were revealed at a recent meeting of the Bailieborough Cootehill Municipal District.

Town Regeneration Officer, Caroline Brady, outlined nine areas in which the town wishes to improve - dereliction, public realm, economic development, mobility, climate, community recreation facility, heritage, digital transformation and community engagement.

The target areas were decided following two public consultations, which took place in the Bailie Hotel.

In relation to dereliction, Ms Brady said that the ground level of the majority of buildings on the street are occupied. However the new plan will focus on backland development, as well as encouraging more people to “live over shops”.

She explains since this initiative launched, “three developers in the town” have flagged their properties as potentially suitable.

The plan also seeks to improve public realm space and Ms Brady feels it will “link up nicely with the town centre”, including the courthouse, the new garda station and the old post office and Market Square.

“We need to look at the junction first,” she says, speaking about what has been described as the “lethally dangerous” junction next to Bailieborough town’s Market Square, with roads connecting towards Kingscourt and Virginia.

The regeneration officer also highlight initiatives such as a monthly pop-up shop in the town, inviting new and established businesses to open a once-off shop on the Main Street.

Ms Brady hopes this will not only create business for the business in the pop-up shop, but also “footfall in the town” to further benefit existing businesses.

Mobility is an issue that has been highlighted in Bailieborough for the last number of years. However the recent addition of multiple bus Éireann routes running through the town has helped to remedy the situation.

Ms Brady explains that, as part of the regeneration project, a new bus stop will be created in the town.

She also mentioned parking issues in the east Cavan town, which she believes will be eased by creating additional parking facilities in the backlands.

It's also intended to “open more linkages” between the town and the backlands, particularly to Tesco, which is located on the Kingscourt Road.

Marketing the town

The town’s public consultations also revealed the need for marketing assistance for existing businesses.

Ms Brady revealed how she has connected with Dublin City University, which has agreed to work with “three or four businesses to help build websites for them and it won’t cost them anything”.

The officer then moved her attention to the community recreational facilities in the town, explaining, while there are “ample facilities for mainstream sports, there is not a lot for non-mainstream sports”.

An audit will be conducted “around the town to see where the gaps are”, said Ms Brady.

Community engagement is also something deemed important in Bailieborough.

While many social groups already exist in the town, Ms Brady feels more engagement would be beneficial.

The plan also seeks to put a greater emphasis on heritage in the community.

In response to the presentation, Aontú Councillor Sarah O’Reilly stated her key areas of concerns are the “undergrounding of wires” as they are “not aesthetically pleasing,” as well as the redevelopment of the junction.

Senior Executive in the Roads department, John McKernan, said that the council is in the “very preliminary design stage” of the junction development and have to “fit the public realm around the junction”.

Chairman of the MD, Cllr Clifford Kelly also expressed his concerns regarding those who would live above businesses in the town.

“Where would their washing go?” he asked, suggesting if the council was to use the backlands for parking etc, it would reduce the space available to tenants.

“It is a challenge,” he said.

Fine Gael Councillor Carmel Brady told the group she had heard “good things” from the people of the town and advised Ms Brady to get “a couple of quick wins”.

She feels the town is “shabby looking” and a few small jobs would increase pride in the town.

Cllr O’Reilly concluded saying the project would be a “game changer for the town”.

The Town Centre First (TCF) policy was launched by the Government in 2022, aiming to create town centres that function as viable, vibrant, and attractive locations for people to live, work and visit, while also functioning as the service, social, cultural, and recreational hub for the local community.

The TCF Policy recognises that Irish Towns are facing significant challenges and opportunities, and that a ‘one size fits all’ approach will not work. This new Government policy commits to providing resources to address many of the challenges facing towns so that they can serve the needs of the local community in a vibrant and sustainable way.

County Cavan’s Town Regeneration Officer, Caroline Brady, has been working with a multidisciplinary consultancy team who will lead the development of the Town Centre First plan in consultation with the local community and businesses.