1.6 Retail

1.6 Retail

The Primary retail area in Tralee is incorporated within the Town Centre. It includes Castle Street, The Mall, part of Ashe Street and Edward Street, the Square, the Abbeycourt area and part of Rock Street. Kerry County Council shall generally support new retail developments within the town centre area, as defined by the Retail Core. This shall be the preferred area for new retail development and regard shall be given to this in adopting the sequential test for new retail proposals.  A retail strategy for the entire county will be undertaken within 2 years of the adoption of this plan.

Kerry County Council is committed to ensuring the town centre area remains commercially viable, active and buoyant. Key indicators for this include:

• Diversity of retail functions
• Environmental amenity and quality of the public domain
• Vacancy rates on primary and secondary streets
• Accessibility and pedestrian permeability
• Perception of safety and occurrence of crime
• Regular maintenance and effective cleaning

1.6.1 Retail Regeneration

Maintaining the vitality and vibrancy of Tralee and addressing the challenges of town centre renewal and regeneration is a key objective of the Plan to ensure the long-term sustainability of the town in terms of sustainable jobs growth and retail sales. Tralee Town Centre needs to build on its strengths from a social, cultural, heritage and economic perspective, strengthen its own identity, as well as a town centre experience and offering in order to secure its future.

A number of sites/areas exist that are suitable for town centre retail regeneration. These include the Tralee shopping centre located on The Mall. This old shopping centre has a very significant vacancy rate of up to 75%, with all the upper floors remaining vacant. This site would be suitable for complete re-development. Other areas include Castle Street, Pembroke Street, Rock Street and Strand Road where significant numbers of properties lie vacant and would be suitable for both retail and residential uses.

Kerry County Council’s objective to revitalise the town centre through public realm enhancements is evidenced by the improvements to The Mall, the ongoing works to Russell Street, Bridge Street, and a commitment to future improvements to Castle Street, Lower Rock St and The Market Quarter et al. It is anticipated that these improvements will act as a catalyst for future investment in the town and will significantly improve the town centre experience for workers, shoppers and visitors to the town.

1.6.2 Shopfronts & Signage

Tralee contains a number of traditional shopfronts, which contribute to the distinctive character of the town. The Council will encourage, through its Shopfront Design Guidelines (2018), the preservation and refurbishment of existing traditional shopfronts and name plates, and where appropriate the development of new high-quality shopfronts in traditional design. Non-traditional design shopfronts will only be considered if their design is sympathetic to adjacent facades and enhances, rather than detracts from the visual amenity of the streetscape. Kerry County Council has developed a Pilot Shopfront Enhancement Grant Scheme for key locations in Tralee Town.

Areas identified as Town Centre will also benefit from significant reductions in development contributions as per the Kerry County Council Development Contribution scheme 2017. This together with the Council’s on-going commitment to public realm enhancements will create a suitable environment for future investment in the town and will significantly improve the town centre experience for retail outlet owners, workers, shoppers and visitors to the town.

1.6.3 Vacant Units

The Tralee Town Centre Health Check revealed an occupancy rate of 81% in the town centre and categorised 47% of the units surveyed as ‘Retail’. The Health Check also identified vacancy rates on Denny Street and Upper Castle Street as being very problematic. High vacancy rates were also seen in Tralee Shopping Centre. It is imperative that these unused commercial, retail and office units are redeveloped in order to increase vibrancy.

1.6.4 Manor West/Manor East

The out-of-town retail parks at Manor West and Manor East have attracted significant investment to the region, providing valuable employment opportunities and have established Tralee as a regional shopping destination for County Kerry, West Limerick and North Cork. It is essential that the regional strengths of these parks are supportive of the wider retail mix in the region and in particular do not undermine the retail core of Tralee Town Centre. In order to support the sustainable development of retail in appropriate locations throughout the region and in particular to reinforce the comparative retail function of Tralee Town Centre, further retail development in the Manor West and Manor East areas highlighted on the following map shall be restricted to retail warehousing only as defined in the Guidelines for Planning Authorities, Retail Guidelines, DoECLG, 2012. Where proposed the need for any additional retail warehousing in this area should be carefully assessed in view of the significant levels of provision already established there and potential impacts on vitality and viability of the town centre. At present traffic management challenges exist on the Killerisk and Rathass Roads particularly at peak shopping times. In order to address these challenges, it is an objective of this plan to facilitate and support the development of a new access road to the south of Manor West Retail Park linking it to the Tralee Bypass.

Map 1.9: Manor West and Manor East Area _{(click to enlarge)}