TRALEE and Killarney are to receive up to €197,094 each under THRIVE, the Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme, awarded under Ireland’s two European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Regional Programmes.
The funding is targeted at allowing Kerry County Council and residents of the towns to reimagine and revitalise town centres though the renovation and reuse of publicly owned vacant or derelict heritage buildings.
Minister for Education and Kerry T.D, Norma Foley welcomed the annoucement saying: “I am delighted that both Tralee and Killarney will be supported with funding of almost €200,000 each to facilitate the development and enhancement of integrated urban strategies using a Town Centre First Approach and assist Kerry County Council and local residents to identify suitable projects and ensure they are ready to commence capital works.”
.What New Road/Island of Geese area will look like after works.
TRALEE Municipal District councillors have unanimously approved proposals for a number of works on roads and pavements in the town centre, at the meeting of Tralee MD on Monday.
The proposal included a combination of pavement finishes and levels. Road widths are being reduced to slow traffic movements and footpaths widths are being increased to enhance pedestrian safety.
The proposals provide pedestrian friendly linkages between the Island of Geese site and the Tralee Town Centre. Mixed/Shared roadways have been designed to encourage cyclists to take to the lanes.
In summary Tralee Town Centre Pavements Phase 3 will consist of:
Continued below…
.
Godfrey Place, Staughton’s Row, Bridge Place
• Asphalt roadway with stone paved footpaths
• Two controlled level access pedestrian crossings
• Addition of mature trees along the length of Godfrey Place and Staughton’s Row
• Junction at Bridge Place will include a raised coloured asphalt surface.
New Road and Island of Geese Road
• New Road will be part asphalt, part stone paved level surface along its length.
• Stone paved level surface will interface with The Island of Geese road and proposed public realm development and will continue to Lower Rock Street and link to Bridge Street and the Mall via Bridge Lane.
• Bill Booley’s Lane will be upgraded with stone paving and enhanced lighting
• Modifications to the boundary and entrances to the Garda Station and with the creation of a public space
• Provision of two controlled crossings
• New designated Garda vehicle parking area on the Island of Geese Road and Waterloo Lane
Rock Street
• Minor revisions to the junction with Russell Street
• Creation of a shared surface along portion of Lower Rock Street
• Stone paved footpaths along Lower Rock Street to the junction with Pembroke Street.
• Existing controlled crossing will be enhanced with increased footpath width on both sides of the road and a level crossing point extending to the Market Lane entrance
Lower Castle Street
• Extension of footpath and Phase 1 paving scheme at northern side of Denny Street junction.
• Provision of stone paving on the footpaths on either side of Lower Castle Street and narrowing of the street to increase footpath widths.
Street furniture, seating, planting, and bicycle parking to be incorporated throughout the scheme. All public lighting will to be upgraded to a high-quality style light with LEDs with undergrounding for utilities where required.
The proposals went out to public consultation in April and 21 submissions were received. A number of amendments were made following submissions. They include;
• introduction of a 15-minute set down area on Lower Castle Street
• additional accessible space on the northern end of Staughton’s Row.
• removing the advance stacking line on Ivy Terrace Junction
• new loading bay on New Road and bus set down / loading bay on New Road to revert to loading bay only.
.How New Road will look after proposed work by the Council.
AS public consultation on the next phase of multi-million-euro enhancement works in Tralee town centre continues, members of the public are invited to attend an online webinar next week to learn more about the proposals.
The new phase of upgrading works in Tralee follows the allocation of funding under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund and will see a continuation of works completed on The Mall and those currently underway in Russell Street and Bridge Street to other parts of the town centre.
Public realm improvements will be carried out along six streets and junctions including:
Continued below…
.
• Staughton’s Row and Godfrey Place
• New Road and the Island of Geese
• Lower Rock Street
• Lower Castle Street
• Bill Booley’s Lane
• Bridge Lane
The proposed works will provide pedestrian-friendly linkages between the Island of Geese site and the town centre.
Road widths are being reduced to slow traffic movements and footpaths widths are being increased to enhance pedestrian safety.
The proposals have been published on the Kerry County Council website and submissions, as part of the Part VIII planning process must be submitted by 14 May 2021.
The webinar will take place on Tuesday, May 4 at 8pm and attendees must register in advance to receive the link to join the webinar.
KERRY County Council has announced a pilot scheme for enhancements to shopfronts in Tralee town centre.
The Tralee Town Centre Pilot Shopfront Enhancement Scheme aims to improve the streetscape environment by encouraging and supporting business owners to upgrade their shopfronts. The scheme applies initially to Upper and Lower Castle Street in the town.
It is intended that the scheme will result in a more attractive environment that residents, visitors, shoppers and businesses can enjoy.
Continued below…
.
It is also envisaged that this scheme will assist in promoting Tralee as an attractive place for social and business interaction, thereby increasing the vitality and viability of the town, with positive benefits for all.
Funding for the initiative was secured through the Department for Rural and Community Development under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme.
If the pilot initiative is successful, consideration can be given at a later stage to rollout of the scheme to other locations, subject to a suitable funding stream being identified.
Dulux Paints has kindly agreed to sponsor an appropriate colour design solution for those property owners who wish to paint their buildings under the scheme
Mayor of Tralee, Cllr Terry O’Brien welcomed the initiative as a boost for the town centre: “This is a great scheme which will be piloted on Castle Street and it has real potential. Kerry County Council wants to encourage retail innovation, creativity, vitality and recognises the role shopfronts, signs and advertising can have on the character of a street.
‘This initiative, combined with the Business Incentive Scheme which was launched in 2019, will encourage and support property owners to regenerate and revitalise their premises and create a vibrancy to the town centre as a location for economic and social interaction,” he said.
“I would urge eligible property owners to get in touch with the Tralee Municipal District Office to get involved or to obtain more information,” said Cllr O’Brien.
Anyone wishing to discuss the initiative can contact the Tralee Municipal District Office on 066 7191300 or by email: traleemunicipaldistrictoffice@kerrycoco.ie.
.An impression contained in the Public Realm Strategy of what the Square could look like (from the direction of Abbeycourt) in the coming years.
A NEW strategy for Tralee, recommending changes to the streetscapes and public areas of the town, is to go to public consultation in the near future.
A draft of the Tralee Town Centre Public Realm Strategy 2018 was presented to councillors at the Tralee Municipal District meeting on Monday, where it received unanimous praise.
The action plan explores the existing quality of the streets and spaces within Tralee Town Centre and makes recommendations on their look, feel and use.
The plan will help guide public and private investment to enhance the heritage assets and socio-economic and cultural growth.
Continued below…
.
While there are many aspects to the document, among the notable changes that caught our eye are in the Square and Market Place. Among the recommendations for The Square are;
• enhancing the current paving to be more high quality, robust and easily maintained, in the long term it should be an extension of the material palette used on The Mall
• removing the bollards and street furniture to open up the space
• the introduction of a line of trees on the eastern side (by Byrnesworth)
• consider a feature contemporary canopy
An aerial impression of the what the Square could look like in the coming years, contained in the Public Realm Strategy. Note trees also in the small square by the Christie Hennessy statue.
Another area which came in for review was Market Place, the small square opposite Dorringtons near The Ashe Hotel.
The strategy recommends getting rid of the parking spaces and introducing features such as;
Continued below…
.
• paving the square in a quality stone material
• adding seating, trees and art to the space, encouraging people to dwell there
• promotion of shops and businesses with active facades and forecourt areas
See images below…
How Market Place looks now.How Market Place looks now from the air.An impression of how Market Place could look in years to come.An aerial impression of how Market Place could look in years to come.
The document also contains recommendations for Milk Market Lane, Staughtons Row, Ashe Street, Rock Street, Denny Street, Boherbee, Castle Street and much more.
The Tralee Town Centre Public Realm Strategy 2018 will be published and go to public consultation in the coming months. People will have the chance to have their say on aspects of the plan before it goes back to the Council.
THE amazing mural at the Abbey Street/Dominick Street junction off The Square is due to be finished today and it looks amazing.
The new mural, some 20 metres long by 10 metres high, has been slowly revealing itself in Abbey Street just off The Square, over the past week in an area unofficially called ‘Tess Quarter’, after the late Tess Leane of The Abbey Inn.
It is being created by Gabriel Galway, with the idea of the project coming from Ken Tobin, joint founder of HQ Tralee, the co-working and business centre.
Continued below…
.
Gabriel assisted by Donal Tobin from Ballyroe, began work on Saturday last and it will be completed by Sunday evening.
The mural focusses on the original Rose of Tralee, Mary O’Connor, and her fiancé William Pembroke Mulchinock, who penned the famous ballad in her honour.
The project is sponsored by HQ, Abbey Inn, Cearnóg and Croí Restaurant and will give this high profile area between the The Square and Abbey Car Park a lift. Scroll down for photos and a time-lapse video by B-Mobile…
The mural is looking amazing..Part of the mural.More of the mural.
.The mural beginning to take shape on Abbey Street.
MANY of you who have passed Dominick Street or the Abbey car park might have noticed a bit of painting going on over the past few days.
A new mural, some 20 metres long by 10 metres high, on the theme of the Rose of Tralee, is slowly revealing itself in Abbey Street just off The Square.
The project is the idea of Ken Tobin, joint founder of HQ Tralee, the co-working and business centre, and the design is by Ballyfinnane artist, Gabriel Galwey.
Gabriel assisted by Donal Tobin from Ballyroe, began work on Saturday and hope to have it completed by next weekend, a few days before the start of the 59th International Rose of Tralee Festival.
The mural focusses on the original Rose of Tralee, Mary O’Connor, and her fiancé William Pembroke Mulchinock, who penned the famous ballad in her honour.
The project is sponsored by HQ, Abbey Inn, Cearnóg and Croí Restaurant and will give this high profile area between the The Square and Abbey Car Park a lift.
Donal Tobin and Gabriel Galwey at the mural.
The mural is on the west facing wall of Croí Restaurant and it is planned to give the adjoining property, the now vacant Lynch’s House, a facelift as well.
Among the early admirers was Cllr. Norma Foley, Mayor of Tralee, who said it would complement the improvements works taking place nearby in The Mall.
Tralee Town Centre is undergoing a major transformation by the Council at present with the multi-million euro upgrading of The Mall, Bridge Street and Denny Street.
ANOTHER change on Denny Street came into being this morning, as parallel parking was introduced.
There was still one lane closed as work is still going on, but the street has been fully resurfaced and it looks very smart with the tarmacadam laid and the new cycle lane in place.
The road markings near the cycle lane creates a space for people in cars to open their doors to prevent collisions with cyclists.
The cycle lane on the left on Denny Street.
The new extended area outside Ashe Memorial Hall is also now finished in time for its rededication on Monday, May 22.
The newly extended footpath area outside the Ashe Memorial Hall.
Work is still continuing down by the Mall/Denny Street junction which is due to be finished by next weekend. Denny Street become a two-way street from 6am on Monday, May 22.
Barriers still in place at the Mall/Denny Street junction and either side of the bottom of Ashe Street...
.Work on parking spaces going on this week on Denny Street.
AHEAD of the introduction of a new two-way traffic flow on Denny Street, Tralee, later this month, parallel parking will come into effect on the street this weekend.
The street will be lined for parallel parking over the coming days, replacing the existing perpendicular parking arrangements. Cars will park parallel to the kerb/footpaths under the new arrangements.
The new arrangements will come into effect from this Saturday, May 13 ahead of the introduction of the two-way traffic flow on Monday, May 22 from 6am.
Continued below…
.
Motorists are asked to please observe the new parking provisions from this weekend which will be monitored by traffic wardens.
Works are currently proceeding to schedule on Denny Street and the Mall. Further updates ahead of the introduction of the two-way system will be provided in the media and social media.
.Pictured with Minister of State, Damien English (right) at a recent workshop on Town Centre Health Checks in Dublin Castle were l-r: Martha Farrell (IT Tralee), Noreen O’Mahony (Kerry County Council) and Kevin Burns (Kerry County Council). Photo: Iain White/Fennell Photography
THE results of a study of Tralee town centre will be presented in June to provide the framework for further renewal of the town.
Back in October, Tralee was chosen as one of ten ‘pilot’ towns in the National Town Centre Health Check (TCHC) Training Programme.
‘Town Centre Health Check’ surveys of Tralee’s Historic Town Centre were conducted by IT Tralee students during October and November 2016 which included:
• Land Use surveys to establish the overall vacancy rates in the town.
• Footfall surveys to establish actual town centre visitor numbers.
• Shoppers surveys to rate visitor experience and satisfaction.
• Retailer surveys to establish current levels of commercial activity and outlook.
Other surveys carried out by Kerry County Council included:
• Vehicle counts,
• Mapping of car parking patterns,
• Accessibility audits
Environmental quality and crime figures will also be incorporated into the study. All the above work will be supported by existing studies carried out by Tralee Chamber Alliance and Kerry County Council.
The Tralee Town Centre Health Check is part of a National Town Centre Health Check (TCHC) Training Programme involving research and engaging key stakeholders in order to raise awareness, understanding and appreciation of the critical role that historical town centres play and the impact they have on the overall socio-economic, environment and cultural growth and development and quality of life for citizens and visitors alike.
Representatives from Kerry County Council, Tralee Chamber Alliance and IT Tralee, with on-going support provided by the Heritage Council, have formed the Tralee Town Centre Health Check steering group and engaged in a collaborative process to achieve defined goals over the coming months.
Members of the steering group also attended two workshops – one in Naas and one in Dublin Castle – where they shared best practices and experiences with the other towns involved.
AS part of the next phase of a €1.7m investment in the Denny Street/The Mall area of Tralee under the Tralee Active Travel project, Kerry County Council is proposing to close The Mall and Bridge Street (from the junction with Russell Street towards the Mall) to traffic from April 24 to November 21.
The statutory road closure notice is being published this week and any person having an objection should lodge same, in writing, with the Administrative Officer, Operations, Capital Infrastructure and Safety Department, Kerry County Council, County Buildings, Tralee, County Kerry not later than 5pm on Tuesday, April 4.
Continued below…
.
The closure is to facilitate the introduction of a shared space public realm on The Mall which will see the installation of a new paved surface.
Throughout the works, The Mall and Bridge Street areas will remain fully open for business and pedestrian access will be fully maintained at all times.
• Traffic diversions will be in place but access for emergency services will be maintained.
• Works will be carried out in phases to minimise disruption.
• The taxi rank on The Mall will close and will move to a new permanent 24/7 location at the Abbey Court Car Park near Boots.
• For the duration of the works loading/deliveries will be facilitated in The Square with light commercial vehicles entering via Abbey Court and exiting via Dominic Street between 8am and 11am in the mornings.
• Kerry County Council will maintain direct contact with retailers on The Mall to ensure that any concerns or queries they may have are dealt with promptly.
.Works at the junction of The Mall and Denny Street will necessitate closing the Mall to traffic from April 24.
THE Mall is set to close to traffic from April 24 and won’t reopen to vehicles until November when the transformation of the area is complete.
In a press briefing on Monday, Kerry County Senior Engineer, Eamon Scanlan, outlined the timeline of works for the town centre.
The contractors are on schedule to complete works to make Denny Street a two-way by the start of May, however, works at the junction of the two streets will necessitate the closure of the Mall to traffic from April 24. During this time, Denny Street will still be one-way.
Continued below…
.
It is expected the work will take a week and then the two-way system will be introduced. Works will start then on The Mall and it will stay closed to traffic for the duration of the works which will finish in November.
Mr Scanlan stressed that every effort will be made to minimise disruption during this period and wanted to get the message out that Tralee town centre is open to business.
.The site of the new taxi rank in the Tesco town centre car park, adjacent to the Boots chemists store.
WORK will begin next week on a new taxi rank at the car park next to Boots/Tesco town centre.
The rank will have around 14 spaces and will stretch along the side of the Boots building and around the corner into the Abbey car park. It will be ready by the time The Mall work begins in May.
Continued below…
.
Briefing the press on the town centre work on Monday, Kerry County Council Senior Engineer, Eamon Scanlan, detailed where the new ranks would be situated with the works due to take place in The Mall this May.
There will be a nightly rank on Edward Street for about six cars opposite the post office. When work is completed there will also be a nightly rank on The Mall for a limited number of taxis, on the loading bays. The rank at Bridge Lane (near Shaws) remains.
Mr Scanlan said the Council met with the taxi drivers to decide upon the best place to position the ranks.
.Work on resurfacing The Mall this year will finish at the corner of Carraig Donn shop and The Square.
BRIDGE Street won’t be part of the first phase of the Tralee town centre works due to commence in May and it may be a while before resurfacing takes place there due to lack of funding.
When the plans were initially announced last May, artists impressions of a resurfaced Russell Street and Bridge Street appeared. The Council has planning approval to undertake the works, however they will have to wait until further funding becomes available.
It was also decided to wait until a decision on the use of the Denny Site was made before formulating a plan for a more coherent link between Russell Street/Bridge Street and the town centre.
Continued below…
.The architect’s impression of how Bridge Street (above) and Russell Street (below) would look after completed works, released last year. Works on the streets will not commence until funding becomes available.
This was explained by Kerry County Council Senior Engineer, Eamon Scanlan, at a press briefing on the works in the town centre on Monday.
“We have a lot of the work done in advance. We have a far clearer handle on the costings and materials so it should be a lot more straightforward a process. Hopefully we’ll have shown to the town that we can do it in a way that keeps the town open for business and delivers a quality town centre and they would embrace the works when that time comes,” said Mr Scanlan.
The plan for phase one was to have the works stretch from The Mall up to the Dunnes Stores building on Bridge Street, but now funding constraints mean the work will finish at the Carraig Donn corner of the Square instead.
“We wanted to make sure that either entrance from The Mall to the Square had the nice stonework leading into each other,” he said.
Continued below…
.
Mr Scanlan also explained that The Square would be used in the mornings and a period in the afternoons for deliveries to traders in The Mall while the works are going on.
Smaller vehicles will be allowed in rather than heavy good vehicles. They will come in via Dominick Street and leave via the Carraig Donn entrance/exit.
The works on the Mall are due to begin in early May, after Denny Street becomes a two-way.
How The Mall will look later this year according to architect’s plans.
WORK on making Denny Street a two-way will begin on Monday and is scheduled to be finished by the start of May, people heard at a public meeting in The Ashe Hotel last night.
It is anticipated work could then start on The Mall area, but it’s unclear whether it will continue during the busy summer months of June, July and August. One thing is definite though; work will cease for the Rose of Tralee festival period.
The meeting was organised by the contractors, John Craddock Ltd. and many interested parties were present to express any concerns about the project.
Continued below…
.
It had originally been anticipated that work would stop for the summer during the main tourist season, but if the contractors can show local businesses and the council that the work can progress with as little disruption as possible, then a decision will be made, in conjunction with traders, if they can continue or not.
Either way, a commitment was given that work will be completed in the area by November 18. It was made clear at the meeting that there will be disruption to businesses during the project.
The works will make Denny Street a two-way and transform The Mall and Bridge Street into a pedestrian-friendly shared space.
Some businesspeople present at the meeting expressed their concerns about the disruption the works would cause and also criticised the Council for not providing free parking incentives for the public while the work is ongoing.
.At the signing of the contract for works on Denny Street/The Mall were, front row seated from left: John Craddock (Contractor), Mayor of Tralee, Cllr Terry O’Brien, Chief Executive Moira Murrell. Back Row: Victor Smyth (Craddocks), James Fealy (KCC), Tom Sheehy (KCC), Director of Servives Charlie O’Sullivan, Tralee Municipal District Manager Mike Scannell, John Ryan (Atkins) and Niamh Fannon (KCC). Photo by Domnick Walsh
WORKS to convert Denny Street into a two-way and the creation of a pedestrian-friendly Mall area will begin in days.
John Craddock Ltd, a Kildare based contractor, signed the contract for the Tralee Town Centre improvement works funded by the Department of Transport and Kerry County Council as part of the Active Travel Town initiative, on Friday February 10th.
The Contract worth €1.7m will start in the coming days with a completion date of November 2017 anticipated for the project.
Continued below….
.
The main changes that will arise from the works will be the conversion of Denny Street to two-way traffic and the introduction of a more pedestrian-friendly shared space area on the Mall from the Carraig Donn entrance into the Square as far as the junction of the Mall and Denny Street.
Mayor of Tralee Terry O’Brien welcomed the significant investment in the town centre and looked forward to the completed works contributing to the attractiveness of the town.
Contractor, John Craddock said he was delighted to be back working in Kerry, having, amongst other Kerry projects, completed the improvement to the Town Square. He said the aim of his staff will be to complete the works to the highest standard and to work with the town centre businesses to keep Tralee open for business during the works.
Kerry County Council Chief Executive Moira Murrell wished Craddocks every success with the project and stated that the Council was happy that a contractor with the good standing and reputation of Craddocks was carrying out the works.
.Water mains works will start next Monday in The Mall/Bridge Street area.
TRALEE Chamber Alliance has described the decision by Kerry County Council and Irish Water, to dig up part of Tralee town centre for the next six weeks as “bizarre”.
A letter from Kerry County Council was issued to businesses this week, saying work would start this coming Monday on replacing an existing cast iron water main and the supply connections from the main in Bridge Street and The Mall. The work is set to take six weeks – up to the start of December.
Continued below…
.
This project is separate to the planned work in the New Year to change the traffic flow on Denny Street and the introduction of shared-space on The Mall and the Council says this mains work has to be done before in advance of that project going ahead.
“The manner in which the businesses on The Mall and Bridge Street were informed, just four days prior to the commencement of the work, clearly lacks consideration for a sector that relies on the Christmas trade to bolster their accounts for the year,” reads a statement from the Chamber.
“In light of the recent consternation over the upcoming traffic management project, and despite all the assurances from Kerry County Council to work with the traders to minimise disruption, it is shocking to learn that they plan to disrupt trade so close to Christmas with a completely different project.”
“Serious questions need to be answered as to why the work to improve the water supply network cannot take place at the same time as the traffic management project in the New Year,” concludes the statement.
TRALEE has been chosen as one of ten ‘pilot’ towns in the National Town Centre Health Check (TCHC) Training Programme.
The Heritage Council of Ireland and RGDATA are developing this training programme, a key aim of which is to raise awareness, understanding and appreciation of the critical role that historic town centres play and the wide-ranging impacts that their vitality, vibrancy and viability have on overall socio-economic, environmental and cultural growth and development, and on quality of life for citizens and visitors alike.
The other towns involved are Ballina, Cashel, Ennis, Dundalk, Monaghan, Naas, Rush, Sligo and Tullamore.
Continued below…
.
‘Town Centre Health Check’ surveys of Tralee’s Historic Town Centre, to be conducted by IT Tralee students, are taking place during October and November 2016. These will include:
• Land Use surveys to establish the overall vacancy rates in the town.
• Footfall surveys to establish actual town centre visitor numbers.
• Shoppers surveys to rate visitor experience and satisfaction.
• Retailer surveys to establish current levels of commercial activity and outlook.
Other surveys to be carried out by Kerry County Council include:
• Vehicle counts,
• Mapping of car parking patterns,
• Accessibility audits
Environmental quality and crime figures will also be incorporated into the study. All the above work will be supported by existing studies carried out by Tralee Chamber Alliance and Kerry County Council.
This collaborative training programme will develop an innovative town centre-led commercial, cultural heritage and tourism baseline, which will be driven forward by all the project partners.
It is envisaged that this ‘pilot’ training programme will be recognised internationally as a best practice collaborative model for town centre management and revitalisation.
TCHC pilot programme training has already been completed by representatives from Tralee Chamber Alliance (Kieran Rutleddge CEO), the Institute of Technology Tralee (Martha Farrell, Lecturer, School of Business, Computing and Humanaties) and Kerry County Council (Noreen O’Mahony Economic / Tourism Officer and TJ Mahony, County Heritage Officer).
On-going professional / academic mentoring will be provided for the duration of the project from professional practitioners and academics who are experienced in town centre revitalisation, urban design, and planning, heritage and environmental management in Ireland and elsewhere.
Key aims of the TCHC training programme are to:
• Raise awareness of the crucial role that good planning and design, quality public realm plays in creating a safe historic core (and streetscape) with a unique ‘sense of place’, which in turn attracts visitors and tourists to a town centre – i.e. the public realm is the ‘main stage’ of an historic town;
• To train local public, retail, business and voluntary representatives on how to undertake an annual Town Centre Health Check – identifying and using key performance indicators.
• Once the training is completed, mentoring and support will be provided for local partnerships in towns to work together to carry out a Town Centre Health Check and devise and implement an agreed Town Centre Management Strategy to enhance vitality, vibrancy and viability’.
• Establish an All-island Town Centre Management Network
• Establish a National Town Centre Management Policy Research Programme.
Town Centre Health Checks (TCHCs) are commonly undertaken in many EU countries on an annual basis, for example through the Association of Town and City Management in the UK (including Northern Ireland).
IT Tralee project supervisor, Martha Farrell, said ‘we are delighted to participate in this project and we have no doubt that the student project teams involved, on the Bachelor of Arts in Information Systems Management and Bachelor of Business in Marketing programmes will benefit from an invaluable learning exercise. It really is an excellent opportunity for our students to hone their research skills while contributing to something that will make a difference to everyone who uses the town centre in Tralee’.
“The Town Centre Health Check is a great initiative and one that Tralee Chamber Alliance is happy to support,” said Kieran Ruttledge, CEO of Tralee Chamber Alliance. “The more information that we can generate the better we will be able to plan for the future of Tralee. We can also learn a lot from the nine other chosen towns and see how they have addressed problems and found solutions. All the various agencies working together for the benefit of the town is definitely the best way forward and we are very hopeful that we will make progress through this project,” said Mr Ruttledge.
“Given their key socio-economic, environment and cultural role, it is important that collaborative and practical tools are developed to ensure that Kerry’s town centres are enhanced as sustainable and viable places, with the ability to attract investment, which can contribute to economic growth, attract people to live, work, develop businesses and visit, and contribute to the flourishing of civic pride and overall quality of life” said TJ Mahony, County Heritage Officer.
The Tralee Pilot will be formally launched at The Business and Information Technology Building, North Campus, Tralee IT on Friday, October 14, at 1:30pm.
.An artists rendering of changes proposed for Bridge Street.
PLANS for two way traffic to return on Denny Street have received the go ahead along with a number of other changes to Tralee town centre at the meeting of Tralee Municipal District on Tuesday.
There has been considerable opposition over the loss of 66 car spaces on Denny Street and the effect it will have on business in the town centre. After a consultation period with traders and taxi drivers, a number of amendments have been made to the original plans.
The loss of so many spaces comes because of a change to parallel parking from the herring bone system to facilitate the re-introduction of two lane traffic.
Continued below…
.
Fourteen spaces have been salvaged on Denny Street after it was agreed there would be no proposed taxi rank there. More parking spaces are expected to be made available around the back of the Ashe Memorial Hall and around that end of Denny Street.
In the Mall, loading bays will be used as a taxi rank at night. It was also recommended to extend the loading bays to include a set down area during the day.
24 hour taxi ranks will be set up in Bridge Lane and Abbey Court, while there will be a night rank on Edward Street. The amended plan was approved unanimously by councillors at Tuesday’s meeting. It is expected that work will start soon on the two-way system in Denny Street and it is hoped to be completed in the autumn.
.The two holes outside Barbereile on Russell Street which have cause a few pedestrians to stumble over.
CONCERN has been expressed about the state of the footpath on Russell Street as two people have already fallen over holes in one part of the path in recent weeks.
A local business owner brought the holes – located just outside Barbereile barber shop – to our attention and said they had seen two people fall over them, including an elderly person and is concerned someone could stumble in front of a car if something is not done about it.
It’s part of a wider problem of broken paths in the town centre, which won’t be dealt with properly until the major works on the town centre later this year.
Continued below…
.Russell Street is littered with potholes at the moment.
The surface of Russell Street, in particular, is in need of repair as well as down by the taxi rank in The Mall.
When we asked if anything can be done about the state of the roads and paths, we were told by the Council that it is envisaged that repairs in this regard will be carried out as part of the proposed works in Tralee town centre which will see the installation of new footpaths and road surfaces.
This won’t start until the autumn. However, the Council will look at some areas in the meantime to see if interim repair work can be done.
.How the shared space on Bridge Street would look after work later this year.
COUNCIL officials and have told traders that scrapping the intended two-way traffic plan for Denny Street was not on the table and work will commence in two weeks time.
However, the traders are hopeful the Council take on board suggestions including finding more parking spaces around the Ashe Memorial Hall.
At a meeting of a delegation from the ‘Save Tralee’ group with the CEO of Kerry County Council, Moira Murrell and officials, on Tuesday afternoon, any notion of work not going head on the shared space and Denny Street being changed to two-way, was “off the table”.
Continued below…
.
At the ‘Save Tralee’ meeting on Monday night the majority of the public and traders who attended, were in favour of the €2.2 million work in Tralee town centre being scrapped.
At the Tuesday meeting, ‘Save Tralee’ asked if the works which could be delayed until September because of the possible loss of revenue during the peak tourist summer months, but were told work will commence as planned in two weeks time.
“As I understand there is nothing that can be done on that,” Heather O’Sullivan of Save Tralee told TraleeToday.ie on Wednesday. “It was the feedback we were given [at the meeting], which is a shame,” she said.
“We want to work with the council. We have the very best interests of the people of Tralee at mind,” she added.
Representing ‘Save Tralee’ at the meeting with Council officials were business people Hotelier Dick Boyle, Auctioneer Eddie Barrett and Heather O’Sullivan of John Ross Jewellers. They met CEO of Kerry County Council, Moira Murrell, Senior Engineer Tom Sheehy and Director of Services Michael Scannell.
“The members of the Council listened with great compassion and I really hope and pray that some of our suggestions can be adopted and taken on board,” said Heather.
Some of the suggestions made were, the retention of all six disabled spots in The Mall and all seven disabled spots on Denny Street. There was a request that the Taxi drivers be given a rank outside Shaws that would extend down towards the existing rank on Bridge Lane.
They asked the council not to put a taxi rank on Denny Street in order to alleviate the concerns of hoteliers and residents on Denny Street.
A request was put in on behalf of taxi drivers who wished for a taxi rank to be provided at University Hospital Kerry.
“By moving the taxis off Denny Street that would immediately alleviate traders concerns on the approximate parking. If those 14 taxi spots became parking spaces you’d have those short term parking spaces closer to the shops like we currently have.”
“There seems to be openness to the idea to see if further spots be found around the Ashe Memorial Hall, to basically squeeze as many spots as possible there. The situation on Castle Street is now at critical level and we have to address it. We are hoping that the council can address it some way.”
More suggestions were for more parking spaces to be available on Courthouse Lane. Traders on the lower part of Ashe Street wished to have a set-down space so deliveries could be made easier in and out.
There was a suggestion to relocate the tourist office from the Ashe Memorial Hall to the vacant old Albany paint shop opposite the entrance to St John’s. It was felt investment in that building and placing the tourist office would regenerate that area of town.
Jaroslaw Lukasiewicz who opens ‘Coffee Start’ on The Mall in the next week.
TEN new jobs will be created in the coming days with the opening of a new cafe where Charlie Nelligan’s Coffee Shop used to be located.
Mr Nelligan retired from the coffee shop on Christmas Eve and sold the business to Jaroslaw Lukasiewicz, a Polish man, who has been living in Ireland for the past nine years.
Continued below…
Now the businessman and his Russian-born wife Sviatlana, are set to open ‘Coffee Start’ with the creation of 10 new jobs. They are in the process of giving the cafe a brand new look and are looking forward to welcoming customers by the weekend or Monday.
“I was looking for a few years for a place to open the business in Ireland, but the locations I visited weren’t right. So we decided to locate here. Tralee is a beautiful town with everything together in one place – lots of different shops and restaurants,” said Jaroslaw.
“We’re building an international team who will work together, including a lady who worked in the premises here before and a chef who has worked in some of the restaurants in town. Other workers will be Polish, Spanish, Malaysian, Irish, Chinese and Russian,” he said.
Continued below…
“We’re going to deliver fantastic coffee and sandwiches to give the customers great food at good prices. This is our target,” he said.
He also has plans for later in the year, including possible evening opening as well as other ideas.
Good luck to Jaroslaw and his team. It’s good to see another business opening on The Mall.
TRALEE and Killarney are to receive up to €197,094 each under THRIVE, the Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme, awarded under Ireland’s two European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Regional Programmes.
KERRY County Council has announced a pilot scheme for enhancements to shopfronts in Tralee town centre.
AS part of the next phase of a €1.7m investment in the Denny Street/The Mall area of Tralee under the Tralee Active Travel project, Kerry County Council is proposing to close The Mall and Bridge Street (from the junction with Russell Street towards the Mall) to traffic from April 24 to November 21.
