Thematic consultations were undertaken as a follow on to the report on the public on-line and hard copy surveys undertaken to inform the Strategy and Action Plan for Tipperary Town.
One of the key objectives of the Task Force is to hear what the public have to say and, therefore, in addition to carrying out surveys looking for public opinions and views on what needs to be done to revitalise Tipperary Town, key themes were identified and thematic consultations undertaken:
- Climate Adaptation
- Education & Training
- Enterprise & Employment
- Heritage, Culture & Arts
- Image of Tipperary Town
- Infrastructure
- Retail
- Social Inclusion
- Sport & Recreation
- Tourism
Members of the Task Force opted to participate on various thematic consultation groups and to act as Convenors of the consultation. Their Convenor role included identifying a wide range of stakeholders with interest in or knowledge of the theme, recruiting a facilitator, organising the consultations across November 2020 into January 2021 and supporting Marie Ryan, Project Manager, with summarising the outcomes.
The information gathered from the surveys and consultations will be utilised in the drafting of objective statements and will feed into the preparation of a Strategy and 3-year Action Plan for the town. Marie Ryan, Project Manager, believes ‘it is a community action plan based on community and stakeholder participation and will detail actions aimed at revitalising the town over the short, medium and long term’.
A key aspect of the Task Force’s work involves community consultation – in preparing the plan and in developing projects. Independent Chairperson Carmel Fox said “it is essential that the plan that is developed and delivered is the community’s plan. Our work to harness the ideas and energy of community members to create a plan has seen massive community energy and strengths present themselves. The community wants to make Tipperary Town the best small town in Ireland and to provide an example and a model for other towns to follow”.
The writing of the draft plan. Meanwhile some quick win projects are underway. Ali Harvey of the Heritage Council has a workshop on Fri 19th Feb and aims to complete the Collaborative Town Centre Health Check by April 2021.
