14.5.6 A Town Centre First Approach
This section states that "This Plan commits to supporting the rollout and implementation of the Town Centre First Policy (February 2022) to towns and settlements across County Kildare and to ensuring that the provisions and actions contained in the policy document are fully integrated into the established regeneration activities and work programme of the County Council." but the Draft Kildare County Development Plan lacks explicit actions that address how Kildare Co Co will support the rollout and implementation of Town Centre First Policy establish Town Teams for each town.
The Kildare County Development Plan must include actions that address
- The appointment of Town Regeneration Officers and the establishment of Town Teams for all towns but particularly those with higher population targets (Naas, Maynooth, Newbridge, Leixlip and Celbridge),
- Liaison with the National Town Centre First Office for advice on best practice,
- Sequencing for the preparation of Town Centre Health Checks (Action UD A4), Town Renewal Plans (Action UD A3), Masterplans / Urban Design Frameworks (Action UD A2) and Local Area Plans
Since Town Centre First Plans are non-statutory and expected to be produced by local Town Teams, there is a risk that they will not happen in a timely manner. The Kildare County Development Plan must include objectives to ensure that a Town Centre First Plan is prepared as a matter of urgency and prevent compact town centre development happening in Kildare towns until there is a shared understanding defined in a plan.