'New and innovative' approach to solving vacancy and dereliction problems in Tipperary

A Town Team task force that has been established in Clonmel to tackle vacancy and dereliction in the town centre will hold an information session in the Talbot Hotel at 6.30pm on Thursday evening, November 16.

The idea of the Town Team is Tipperary County Council working collaboratively with the broader groups represented on the task force to see how together “they can turn the town around,” according to District Manager Sinead Carr.

Ms Carr told a meeting of Clonmel Borough District that the council would be working with the Town Team to maximise the reach out into the broader community and the other stakeholders to make sure they got the maximum value from the new group, and it was a very good idea.

District Mayor Richie Molloy and District Administrator Carol Creighton have encouraged people to attend the information session on November 16.

Ms Creighton told the Borough District meeting that the council’s vacant homes officer, regeneration officer and planning officials will be present at the information session, and they could link in with auctioneers and traders in the town.

“It’s not just for vacant properties, it’s for those who have overhead properties that they may want to refurbish,” said the District Administrator.

“Information will be made available on all the different grants available, including the painting enhancement scheme and buy to lease scheme”.

She said it was important that people would attend the meeting to see if funds are available, and to see how those funds could be channelled to help people to refurbish their properties.

Cllr Michael Murphy said that the newly-established task force had already met on a number of occasions. Noel Buckley - “the right man for the job” - is the chairman and the Town Team included representatives from Tipperary Chamber and the Clonmel Business Network.

Cllr Murphy said that the District Mayor of the day should also be on the committee and the Town Team should report twice a year to a Borough District meeting.

He expressed full confidence in the Town Team leading the event on November 16 and collaborating with the council. It was a new and innovative approach that he fully supported.

Cllr John FitzGerald said that the Town Team was a great idea and would start a conversation on a whole range of issues that would affect the town and its people. Conversations would happen and he was certain that some of them would have a positive outcome.

Cllr Pat English, who had proposed at the previous Borough District meeting that the District Mayor would be a member of the Town Team, said he thought it would work very well.

District Mayor Richie Molloy said that the information session on November 16 was “an ideal opportunity” for the public at large and business owners who may have derelict properties to make their views known.

He hoped there would be a big turnout so that people could put their ideas forward.

Sinead Carr stated that the council worked “in collaboration with every group that is out there, and the council will always take a lead”.

All the key principals who would be giving information at the information session are council staff.

She said they were trying to generate activity from a citizens’ point of view to get them motivated and take part because the councillors - “no matter how good each of you are, and all councillors do an exceptional job” - couldn’t solve the problems on their own.

“You need the broader community working with you, and that’s critical. It might superficially look like a Town Team is taking over, that’s not the case”.

Carol Creighton said that the council’s Town Regeneration Officer Aine McCarthy is “100 percent behind this.” She had already initiated it in other towns and she wants to do it in Clonmel through the Town Team, and it is a council initiative.

Carol Creighton and Sinead Carr supported the proposal that the District Mayor would be part of the task force, and that the Town Team would report to the Borough District.