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Minister for Education Norma Foley with Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien.
MINISTER for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien has announced €31.9 million in funding for the Tralee and Killarney regions under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF).
The URDF part-funds projects aimed at enhancing urban areas to make them more attractive places to live, work, visit and invest.
Among the projects set to benefit from €15.93m allocated for Tralee are the Tralee town centre Public Realm works and a number of areas in other parts of town.
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The funding will continue the work on Rock Street, Russell Street and Bridge Street and will result in the primary streets of the central area being finished to a high standard.
The public realm will link the major retail areas of the Mall, Castle Street and Lower Rock Street to the Island of Geese, and strengthen the links to the Town Park through St John’s Church Plaza.
The funding will also develop Tralee’s ‘Market Quarter’ to create an attractive link to the recently upgraded Ashe Hotel and the multi-storey carpark to the Mall.
Significant opportunities exist for unlocking the potential for both residential and commercial development in vacant and derelict areas.
It will also see the redevelopment of the Austin Stack Park Plaza, including the road layout to create a ‘landmark’ entry point to the town centre, celebrating the town’s rich sporting history.
The funding will also be available for strategic site assembly of key areas to address dereliction in the town core and to develop multi-purpose community space on the Island of Geese site.
The funding may also be used to carry out a feasibility study to explore the development of an Innovation District and to develop a Master Plan for the John Joe Sheehy Road area as well as facilitating the detailed design and planning of an all-weather performance/civic space.
Welcoming the news, Kerry TD Minister Norma Foley said: “I welcome the announcement of almost €32 million in Kerry by my Cabinet colleague. I have been working on these twin projects for some months with Minister O’Brien and I am delighted with this positive and timely boost for our country.
“I wish to thank Kerry County Council for their work on the applications. Their support has been crucial to the delivery of both projects. This funding will help create opportunities for commercial development in Tralee and Killarney while enhancing the many natural amenities and attractions that make Kerry one of the country’s top tourist destinations.”
