A new vision for two key towns in Cork was launched by the Mayor of County of Cork, Councillor Declan Hurley. The communities of Carrigtwohill and Passage West will now benefit from a five year strategic plan for the future of their towns, as a result of significant research led by SECAD Partnership and Cork County Council in collaboration with various stakeholders, including community and business groups in the towns.
The five-year strategic plans are intended to be complementary to the statutory Local Area Plan and County Development Plan prepared by Cork County Council. Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Declan Hurley, said: “Resilience is at the heart of this plan. A community and town that has the capacity to adapt and change can flourish and continually renew itself. This is a living plan, created by capturing people’s ideas, and placing the community at heart of its delivery.”
Cllr Marcia Dalton, Ryan Howard, CEO SECAD and Ann O’Driscoll, Chairperson Carrigtohill Community Council at the launch of the five-year Strategic Plans for Carrigtwohill and Passage West, led by SECAD Partnership in association with Cork County Council.The communities of Carrigtwohill and Passage West will now benefit from a real plan for the future of their towns, as a result of significant research led by SECAD Partnership and Cork County Council and in collaboration with various stakeholders, including community and business groups in the towns. Picture: Darragh Kane
As part of the strategic plan research, a ‘health-check’ was performed on each town to analyse the town, its services and the demographic and economic profile of the community. Appreciating the assets and attractions of the towns, as well as identifying gaps and opportunities to build on for the future, and building on SECAD’s ongoing work in the area by engaging with community development organisations, initiatives, networks and the WildWork biodiversity plan, were key components of the comprehensive strategy plans. The strategic plans also outline game changers for the town, providing a blueprint for future developments to positively impact the towns.
Speaking at the launch, Ryan Howard, CEO of SECAD Partnership noted: “The ideas articulated in these plans are designed to reflect the incredible talent, resources and energy, that exists within communities and provide a vehicle for stakeholders and investors to come together to deliver positive change.”
He went on to say, “fundamentally, these plans are about partnership and finding new ways to learn and work together in the interest of the community. These plans seek to be visionary, by working through the small issues that add up to making a big change.”
Cllr Marcia Dalton, Ryan Howard, CEO SECAD and Ann O’Driscoll, Chairperson Carrigtohill Community Council at the launch of the five-year Strategic Plans for Carrigtwohill and Passage West, led by SECAD Partnership in association with Cork County Council.The communities of Carrigtwohill and Passage West will now benefit from a real plan for the future of their towns, as a result of significant research led by SECAD Partnership and Cork County Council and in collaboration with various stakeholders, including community and business groups in the towns. Picture: Darragh Kane
The strategic plans reflect extensive community and stakeholder consultation in Carrigtwohill and Passage West and aim to foster socio-economic development, sustainable growth and renewal through community led partnership over the next five years. Supported by external planning, research and economic consultants led by Future Analytics Ltd, the plans specifically outline a vision for each area, including priority proposals for key social, community, environmental and business actions to be undertaken over the coming five-year period.
Ultimately, the plans belong to the communities of Passage West and Carrigtwohill. The key test will be to see how those plans can influence the direction of both towns from January 2018.
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