Donegal County Council in conjunction with GM Design Associates is pleased to present a Draft Milford Town Centre First Plan for public consultation. The Plan has been prepared in line with the new National Policy ‘Town Centre First – A Policy Approach for Irish Towns’ and is regeneration & renewal focused with a view to strengthening the role, image, vibrancy, vitality and resilience of Milford town centre. The Plan is informed by what people said during the first stage of public consultation which took place between February 16th & March 9th, last, and translates the challenges identified and the ideas proposed into an ambitious yet realistic vision.
This project is funded through the Town and Village Renewal Fund programme and is the 1st Phase of the Town Centre First Masterplan Initiative implemented by the Department of Rural and Community Development as a part of Our Rural Future.
Welcoming the presentation of the Draft Town Centre First Plan for Milford the Mayor of the Letterkenny – Milford Municipal District, Cllr Kevin Bradley, said, “I am delighted to see this continued focus on Milford and to bring a Draft Plan to the local community to get more feedback on the illustrative plan, actions and concepts that have been included. This is a significant opportunity for the people of Milford to identify the key priorities and regeneration opportunities for their town centre so I would strongly urge the whole community to engage with the consultation process over the next 4 weeks as it is crucial to hear the thoughts of the public to shape this vision for the future of Milford Town Centre.”
Speaking about the project, Liam Ward, Director of Community Development and Planning Services with Donegal County Council says, “the publication of the Draft Milford Town Centre First Plan is an important milestone for Milford as it is the first such Plan in the County and will help guide and facilitate the future development of the town centre and will assist and support future applications for funding across the public, private and community sectors.” “The Draft Town Centre First Plan contains a number of key regeneration proposals that respond to the issues, challenges, needs and opportunities which have emerged from the process to date and if achieved will greatly enhance the significance of the town and its offering in the future.”
Jonny Stewart, Project Lead with GM Design Associates, added, “the community in Milford has already played a key role in how the Draft Town Centre First Plan has been shaped and developed and we would like to thank all those who have taken part so far. We encourage as many people as possible to give their feedback on the Draft Plan so that we can continue to tailor the vision towards the needs and aspirations of the local community, businesses and residents.”
Public consultation on the Draft Town Centre First Plan will open on Monday 10th July 2023 with the presentation of the Draft Plan on the project website: www.milfordtowncentrefirst.com, and will close on Friday 4th August 2023 at 4pm.
As a part of this second stage of the public consultation process Donegal County Council invites the public to come along to an open drop-in event that will take place on Wednesday 26th July 2023 from 3.00pm to 8.00pm at the Milford Public Services Centre, Main Street, Milford.
It will be an opportunity to view the Draft Town Centre First Plan and to provide feedback to the consultants.
Source: Donegal County Council
