Three year action plan announced for Tipperary Town

Tipperary County Council has commenced work on a three year action plan to develop the economic, social and tourism potential of Tipperary town and its surrounding area.
The action plan is a response to the march4tipp campaign which saw thousands of people take to the streets to highlight a jobs crisis, disadvantage in schools , the failure to provide a by- pass for the town and other issues.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, after the second march, proposed Tipperary County Council develop a plan to address the issues and make an appointment to lead the project.
The three year plan was announced on Monday and since then no statement has been issued by the march4tipp organisers.
This week it was announced that Pat Slattery, Direct0r of Services would take on the project .He called for the support of all stakeholders.
“We see the Town Forum as critical to the future success of the project, as it will be representative of the different interests in the town.We plan to recruit a project manager to work day-to-day on the the action plan in Tipperary, and that person will also report to the Town Forum” said Pat Slattery.
He said the Town Forum was in place to represent all interests in the town.
“The Forum is made up of many interest groups, and it is intended to widen the participation on the Forum by inviting other relevant agencies to participate in the work of the Forum in the preparation of the Action Plan” said Pat Slattery.

The consultant to be appointed will assist in a public consultation exercise.
“The intention is that the actions identified should be deliverable over a three year period,” said Pat Slattery.
“Public consultation will be designed to seek the views of all interests in the town towards improving the liveability and commercial life of the town,” he said.

In order to ensure that the action plan is delivered, Tipperary County Council will recruit a Project Manager for a three year period. The project manager will be recruited to deliver the actions in the Plan by collaborating with all agencies, sourcing and securing necessary funding and providing timelines for delivery. The appointed person will also provide regular progress updates to the people of the town, will report to the Forum and to seek out all opportunities that would progress the 3-rear vision for the town.

“Tipperary County Council recognises that the solutions are wide-ranging and that some solutions will require the cooperation of other state agencies. In this regard, the Town Forum will seek input into the county and regional planning initiatives such as the County Enterprise Forum, the Action Plans for Jobs in the South East and Mid west.
Some projects will require the support of National agencies such as; the Department of Transport and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), on the proposed N24 Limerick to Waterford major road project/Tipperary town by-pass , and the Council has submitted planning and financial assessments of this project to the National Development Plan 2018 to 2027 and will continue to raise this matter with the responsible Department. Similarly, seeking DEIS status for our schools will require support from the relevant Government Departments” said Pat Slattery.
In welcoming the initiative, Cathaoirleach of the Cashel-Tipperary District Cllr Michael Fitzgerald stated “that towns across the country are experience significant challenges, some are good and some are difficult to accept. However, it is the towns that adapt the best that will succeed. Cllr Fitzgerald confirmed that Tipperary County Council is committed to this process, and he is confident that working together we can address the many challenges that the town is facing - now and into the future”.

The Council recognises that the planned improvements will need to be accompanied by marketing and branding to focus on what makes the town special, and present a modern town that is united, ambitious and committed to making Tipperary a great place to live, work and visit.

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