Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Services
  3. Economic development
  4. Town Centre First

Town Centre First

The Government’s Town Centre First Policy (February 2022) is a major new policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into town centres. The policy lays the foundation for towns to develop a tailored plan by a Town Team in collaboration with the Local Authority. The policy is underpinned by a multi-billion euro investment programme spread across Government schemes. The Sixmilebridge Town Centre First Plan will subsequently provide a basis for the town to seek support from funding streams such as the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, Croí Cónaithe (Towns) Fund, Town and Village Renewal Scheme, Active Travel Fund and Historic Towns Initiative.

Sixmilebridge is one of the early waves of towns to receive funding for a plan under the National Town Centre First Plan Initiative. Sixmilebridge was selected on the basis of successful community led initiatives to date, the challenges the town currently faces and the opportunities and potential that are unique to the town.

The plan is developed within the context of national, regional and local plans and through careful consideration of best practice publications.

National Town Centre First policy

The Town Centre First policy approach is for places to be shaped by communities that live there and to embrace opportunities presented by technology, climate action and demographic change. The policy aims to create town centres that function as viable, vibrant and attractive locations for people to live, work and visit, while also functioning as the service, social, cultural and recreational hub for the local community.

The adjacent diagram presents an overview of the Town Centre First policy, encompassing the policy’s vision for successful town centre and a number of key policy themes.  Leave in or not (and put the diagram if so)

It is important to ensure that the plan is prepared in direct response to this policy vision and themes. Specific plan themes most relevant to the plan for Sixmilebridge have emerged from analysis and engagement. We will highlight how these specific themes relate to and address the policy themes and vision in the sections that follow.

Page last reviewed: 12/06/23

Content managed by: Economic Development

Back to top

Contact

Town Centre First Department
Clare County Council
Áras Contae an Chláir
New Road
Ennis
Co. Clare
V95 DXP2
towncentrefirst@clarecoco.ie
(065) 6821616
More details and map