A GROUNDBREAKING regeneration plan is being worked on for Skibbereen town centre.

It’s part of a ‘Town Centre First’ concept that advocates  for urban regeneration by working with the community and stakeholders.

It’s a primary focus of the council’s town regeneration office, with work under way in Skibbereen and also Kanturk in North Cork.

Skibbereen’s plan was published in April 2024 and with €1.8m funds secured, objectives include town centre public realm works, Skibbereen sections of the West Cork Greenway, development of The Rock outdoor amenity area, and a focus on town centre dereliction.

Other objectives include promoting the River Ilen Blueway, advancing the development of Marsh Ecology Park, advancing the development of Marsh car park, examining the potential for a second pedestrian bridge from the Marsh car park to the library, progressing the development of Levis Quay Public Realm and development of Riverside Walk.

‘The Riverside Walk project expands upon an existing initiative to connect the disparate parts of the Ilen waterfront, and to capitalise on the commercial potential of the Riverside aspect. Animating the waterfront with restaurants, cafes and pop-ups will bring people in to the area will activate the promenade, especially in the evening. Properties backing on to the river can develop separate river -facing commercial units or become dual aspect,’ reads the plan.

Meanwhile, an allocation of €10,000 was secured for both Bantry and Macroom to develop ‘Town Teams’ in each location.

Community surveys were carried out in Macroom, and Bantry, yielding 232 and 544 responses respectively, which will inform the identification of priorities for these towns going forward.

(Funded under the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.)