Tuesday, 15 June 2021
Donegal County Council in collaboration with BASICC is pleased to open a public consultation to hear the views of the community on the Draft Ballybofey-Stranorlar Regeneration Strategy. The Draft Regeneration Strategy is an exciting and ambitious vision to identify key priorities and actions for the regeneration of Ballybofey-Stranorlar town centres up to 2040 and beyond. It is a project to imagine the future of the town centres and the public are invited to have their say.
Welcoming the publication of the Draft Regeneration Strategy, the Cathaoirleach of Lifford-Stranorlar Municipal District, Cllr Gerry Crawford said “I am delighted to see this strong regeneration focus on the twin towns and to bring a draft strategy back to the public to get more feedback on the projects and ideas that have been included. This Strategy builds upon the recent announcement of funding of €9.7m from the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund to deliver The SEED Project in the commercial core of the towns. The Draft Regeneration Strategy is our opportunity to think beyond the SEED Project and imagine what other regeneration opportunities there are for the towns.”
He added "I would encourage the whole community to engage with the consultation process over the next 4 weeks because it is essential that the Regeneration Strategy is informed by the contribution and aspirations of our community and key stakeholders in maximizing the untapped potential of Ballybofey-Stranorlar as a vibrant place to live, work, visit and invest".
The Draft Regeneration Strategy has been prepared by Pasparakis Friel Architects and is built upon what people said during consultation in September 2020 and in an earlier consultation event in Kee’s Hotel in November 2019. It translates the challenges, opportunities and ideas from the public into ambitious, exciting and visionary projects.’
Kieran Doherty, Chairman of BASICC explained "This strategy is very important because it will be a roadmap that will help guide our collective priorities and actions for the town centres and it will support future applications for funding. We feel that the Draft Strategy contains lots of exciting opportunities to enhance Ballybofey and Stranorlar’s unique sense of place and it includes exciting actions that will be positive for the economy and community in the twin towns".
Liam Ward, Director of Community Development and Planning Services added, ‘The publication of the Draft Ballybofey-Stranorlar Regeneration Strategy is a key milestone to bring together all of the regeneration priorities and actions for the twin towns into one clear, visionary and exciting masterplan. Alongside the secured Government investment in The SEED Project and the Finn Harps redevelopment, there is a clear momentum and many ambitious opportunities for the future’.
The Draft Regeneration Strategy is now available for public consultation so that the community can feed in more to the project. Ronan Friel of Pasparakis Friel Architects said,"‘The community in Ballybofey-Stranorlar has already played a key role in how the Draft Strategy has been developed. We would like to thank all those who have taken part so far. The plan will be greatly strengthened through further strong public input. Community participation is critical to understanding how Ballybofey and Stranorlar work and in aiding the design of an exciting vision for the town centres. We encourage as many people as possible to give their feedback on the Draft Strategy so that we can continue to tailor the vision towards the needs and aspirations of the local community, businesses and residents".
Get involved:
There are lots of ways to get involved during Tuesday 15th June 2021 to Tuesday 13th July 2021 by:
•View the Draft Ballybofey-Stranorlar Regeneration Strategy at: https://bit.ly/2TtrLq6
•Emailing your comments or questions to ballybofeystranorlarregen@gmail.com by 13th July 2021.
•Keeping up-to-date on Donegal County Councils Facebook and Twitter
•Follow the project on Facebook @Ballybofey Stranorlar Regen
As public health restrictions evolve over the coming weeks, the possibility of a bookable drop-in event will be kept under review.
Check out the summaries below of the key parts of the Draft Regeneration Strategy
