TRALEE Chamber is highlighting the need for Tralee to focus on a clear target of creating 225 new jobs in the town centre each year and capitalising on the new status as a university town by having all new student housing development accommodated ‘above the shop’ in the town centre.

In a continuation of Tralee Chamber’s proposals on a roadmap to rebuilding Tralee, the Chamber are calling on all stakeholders of Tralee to focus on the dramatic growth of the town into a regional driver for jobs as a University Town.

Dick Spring, an advisor to Tralee Chamber, explained; “We want to see vitality restored to the centre of town, the measures being outlined in the Chamber report are exactly what we need to see implemented right now so that vacant buildings are prepared for occupancy and that jobs are created in the centre of the town to support all our local small businesses.

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“Measures such as the student accommodation needs and locating public and private sector employment back in the town centre will be a catalyst for creating more opportunities for Tralee.”

The Regional Plans for the Southwest of Ireland has highlighted Tralee as being one of the key towns in the region with a targeted 30% population growth by 2040 being set for Tralee.

Tralee Chamber have calculated that this 30% increase means the town must deliver in excess of 137 new public and private residences per annum and increase employment by an additional 225 jobs per year.

With reference to the Tralee Local Area Plan, a target of 40% of all new housing is to be developed in the urban centre of Tralee.

Tralee Chamber are seeking as part of the County Development plan, that a formal Strategic Growth Plan document should now be developed for Tralee, to guide all investment, zoning, job creation and planning in Tralee to not only meet the target of 30% growth, but to be ambitious and aim to out-perform these goals.

“We need to plan like we are a bigger town than we are,” said Ken Tobin. “If we aim to out-perform the 30% growth target in time for the next National Planning Framework review we can re-write the path set for Tralee and aim to be re-designated as a regional growth centre. This would line Tralee up for the same level of investment that our nearest neighbours in Limerick and Cork cities are receiving.”

Tralee Chamber are calling for all future student accommodation to be ring-fenced for ‘above the shop’ accommodation within the centre of the town.

With ambitious plans for future growth on the MTU Campus, the Chamber are also seeking improvements in infrastructure that will enable greater connections between the campuses in Dromthacker and Clash including designated cycle-ways and regular public bus connections into the town centre.

“By creating a real university town out of Tralee we will encourage more graduates to stay and work in Kerry,” said Mr Tobin.

John McElligott of Tralee Vintners Federation and Sean Og’s Bar said; “By having the growing student population based in the town centre we will immediately improve the vitality of the evening businesses in Tralee. We already have 3,000 students based out of Tralee across all the colleges, and some nights you wouldn’t know it because they live so far away from the centre of town. The town needs young people to awaken it, and the colleges need Tralee town to become part of the attraction of going to college in Kerry.”