Donegal County Council in conjunction with GM Design Associates have presented a Draft Town Centre First Plan for public consultation.
The Plan has been prepared in line with the new National Policy ‘Town Centre First – A Policy Approach for Irish Towns’ and is regeneration and renewal focused, with a view to strengthening the role, image, vibrancy, vitality and resilience of the Milford town centre.
The Plan is informed by what people said during the first stage of public consultation which took place between February 16th and March 9th last and translates the challenges identified and the ideas proposed into an ambitious yet realistic vision.
This project is funded through the Town and Village Renewal Fund programme and is the first phase of the Town Centre First Masterplan Initiative, implemented by the Department of Rural and Community Development as a part of Our Rural Future.
Welcoming the presentation of the Draft Town Centre First Plan for Milford, Mayor of the Letterkenny – Milford Municipal District, Cllr Kevin Bradley, said: “I am delighted to see this continued focus on Milford and to bring a Draft Plan to the local community to get more feedback on the illustrative plan, actions and concepts that have been included.
“This is a significant opportunity for the people of Milford to identify the key priorities and regeneration opportunities for their town centre so I would strongly urge the whole community to engage with the consultation process over the next 4 weeks as it is crucial to hear the thoughts of the public to shape this vision for the future of Milford Town Centre.”
Speaking about the project, Liam Ward, Director of Community Development and Planning Services with Donegal County Council said: “The publication of the Draft Milford Town Centre First Plan is an important milestone for Milford as it is the first of such plan in the county and will help guide and facilitate the future development of the town centre and will assist and support future applications for funding across the public, private and community sectors.
“The Draft Town Centre First Plan contains a number of key regeneration proposals that respond to the issues, challenges, needs and opportunities which have emerged from the process to date and if achieved will greatly enhance the significance of the town and its offering in the future.”
Jonny Stewart, Project Lead with GM Design Associates, added: “The community in Milford has already played a key role in how the Draft Town Centre First Plan has been shaped and developed and we would like to thank all those who have taken part so far.
“We encourage as many people as possible to give their feedback on the Draft Plan so that we can continue to tailor the vision towards the needs and aspirations of the local community, businesses and residents.”
Public consultation on the Draft Town Centre First Plan will open on Monday 10th July 2023 with the presentation of the Draft Plan on the project website: www.milfordtowncentrefirst.com and will close on Friday 4th August 2023 at 4pm.
As a part of this second stage of the public consultation process, Donegal County Council invites the public to come along to an open drop-in event that will take place on Wednesday 26th July 2023 from 3.00pm to 8.00pm at the Milford Public Services Centre, Main Street, Milford.
Submissions or observations on the Draft Milford Town Centre First Plan may be made between Monday 10th July and Friday 4th August 2023, by:
- Visiting the project website www.milfordtowncentrefirst.com to submit feedback
- Attending the public drop-in event on Wednesday 26th July 2023 and providing feedback
- Visit the project Facebook page ‘Milford Town Centre First Plan’
- E-mail: milford@g-m-design.co.uk
- Telephone : +44 (028) 7035 6138
- Write to: GM Design Associates, 22 Lodge Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, BT52 1NB
The Draft Milford Town Centre First Plan will also be on public display during normal office hours from Monday 10th July to Friday 4th August 2023 at the following locations:
- Milford Public Services Centre, Main Street, Milford
- Letterkenny Public Services Centre, Neil T. Blaney Road, Letterkenny
- Reception, Donegal County Council, County House, Lifford