Role of young people in future town planning is 'vital'
Killala was selected for the first-ever Town Centre First plans.
Councillors in Ballina have said it is important that young people continue to be encouraged to engage with Town Centre First (TCF) planning.
Anne McCarthy, Town Regeneration Officer with Mayo County Council, gave a presentation at last week’s meeting of the Ballina Municipal District outlining the TCF policy in Mayo.
The policy aims to provide a framework for towns with a population of between 600 and 10,000 and to create town centres that are viable, vibrant and attractive for visiting, living in and working in.
Ms McCarthy said the challenges facing these towns include vacancy and dereliction, loss of retail, parking, migration, an aging population and a lack of housing. However, her team has made good progress in Mayo thus far with the six TCF schemes they have rolled out.
In the Ballina district, the TCF team has completed a plan for Killala after receiving funding of €100,000 in 2023 while in Crossmolina, funding of €10,000 last year was allocated to supporting the Town Team to create a vision document.
Cllr Jarlath Munnelly said he has been impressed with the TCF team's work in Killala.
“You cannot beat a process that is about getting the whole community involved. It is really important this works out for Mayo County Council so the next wave of towns coming on board can see this is a process that works,” he said.
Cllr John O’Hara said he appreciated the TCF approach of getting young people involved in decision-making.
“It is hard to get young people involved but it is vital to start them young and to get them involved. These are going to be their towns when they get older."
