3.4 Urban Regeneration

3.4 Urban Regeneration

(See also Volume 1, Chapter 4 – Town & Villages)

3.4.1 Town Centre and Public Realm

In order to deliver the vision for Listowel as a vibrant regional town, this plan places a strong focus on town centre development, retail and urban regeneration opportunities. There are many opportunities and national schemes in place to address decay and dereliction and make town centres attractive and desirable places to visit and live including the Repair & Leasing Scheme and the Buy & Renew Scheme. Developing an attractive public real/amenity space is also important and the use of a co-benefits approach to include for the protection, enhancement and creation of biodiversity including nature-based solutions for management of water run-off, actions from the All Ireland Pollinator Plan and where compatible with the town’s architectural heritage, installing swift nest boxes, will be supported.

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,
• quality of the public realm,
• vacancy rates on primary and secondary streets,
• accessibility and pedestrian permeability,
• perception of safety and occurrence of crime,
• regular maintenance and effective cleaning.

The Council has identified a number of opportunities also contained in the Heritage and Community Led Regeneration Strategy and the Listowel Economic Strategy 2019 – 2021 that have the potential to stimulate urban renewal and regeneration through the improvement of the public realm and enhancement of the urban core. These include:

• Developing an attractive urban centre providing an attractive location for investment, employment, residential and leisure activities and extending the dwell time of visitors to the town.
• Establishing the Town Square, Small Square and William Street as a nucleus for the Town and basis for the Public Realm Plan and subject to environmental assessment.
• In conjunction with the Smarter Travel theme, enhancing Listowel as a ‘Destination Town’ by consolidating the cycling and walking route networks through the town centre in connectivity with the developing greenways through projects identified in the Listowel Active Travel Transport Plan and funded under the NTA Active Travel Programme.
• Developing the concept of placemaking and valuing the built heritage of Listowel Town.
• Enhancing the accessibility and opportunity for Listowel’s Arts, Literature and Food Culture themes through the provision of outdoor performance and dining facilities.
• Building on Listowel’s successful festival programme including Writer’s Week, Listowel Race week, the Revival Festival and Food Festival to establish Listowel as the culture capital for North Kerry and all year-round destination.
• Establishing Listowel as a Tourism Hub for North Kerry through road and greenway infrastructure and in line with the Cliff Coast Development Plan.

Kerry County Council has been very pro-active in developing and advancing a number of studies and plans for Listowel. With large-scale National and European investment in projects such as the Listowel (N69) by-pass, The Listowel Economic Strategy 2019 – 2020, Enterprise Town competition, Town Centre Health Check Study, The Listowel Heritage and Community Led Regeneration Strategy, the Listowel.ie brand and the Action Plan for Childers Park and Woodlands, the town has an abundance of potential to build upon and thrive with a collaborative approach to revitalising its town centre.

3.4.2 Regeneration Area

The Regeneration Neighbourhood Scheme contains a number of interventions taken from initiatives in Rebuilding Ireland to address vacant properties around Listowel. A number of streets have been identified where these interventions could be appropriate. These regeneration neighbourhoods contain vacant properties that can be brought back into use as new homes. The renovation and re-use of these properties will significantly improve Listowel’s streetscape along with improvements to adjoining shopfronts. A reduction in development contributions shall apply to these sites in accordance with Kerry County Council’s Development Contribution Scheme 2017.

Map 3.1: Regeneration Area

3.4.2.1 Living Over the Shop

The Council will consider a reduction in open space and car parking standards for “living over the shop” accommodation proposals in areas designated as Regeneration Neighbourhoods, subject to protecting residential amenity, where considered appropriate by the Planning Authority