Blackrock Tidy Towns committee reveal new development plan
BLACKROCK Tidy Towns have finalised their new Three Year Plan for the development and enhancement of the village for the years 2020-2023. The Plan was commissioned in the autumn of last year and was developed for the Tidy Towns by Billy Flynn of Flynn Furney Environmental Consultants with financial support from LEADER under Ireland’s Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.
The new Plan incorporates many suggestions from the Blackrock community following a public consultation process involving an online and paper-based survey along with a public meeting in the Community Centre.
All proposals received were considered individually and in detail by the consultant before incorporating all relevant suggestions into the new plan with the overall objective of identifying projects and initiatives that would help the village, through the Tidy Towns, in its quest to win the title of Ireland’s Tidiest Town within the lifetime of the new plan.
The plan identifies some 60 separate projects to achieve this goal, categorised according to annual delivery timeframes and under the eight headings of the National Tidy Towns Competition. They include:
Proposals to achieve even more buy-in and support from local businesses, residents associations, and younger residents
A range of projects and initiatives to promote sustainable living and climate action in the community, including: Projects to protect and enhance the biodiversity of the locality, to raise awareness about suitable native tree planting, and to control invasive species; Initiatives that will involve the nearby educational institutions; Promotion of the greenway from Soldiers Point through Blackrock and over The Fane via a new pedestrian and cycle bridge. This is to be progressed in conjunction with the proposed new flood defences for Dundalk and Blackrock; Promotion of additional footpaths, walkways, public lights, off-street parking, and a bus shelter for the Main Street area; Securing the church ruins in the old graveyard to prevent further deterioration.
The Tidy Towns will make a public presentation on the details of the plan over the next number of months, but in the meantime it’s available online at www.blackrockvillage.ie/ reports.
‘ The new Plan will provide significant challenges for us’ said Blackrock Tidy Towns chairperson John Horan. ‘However, we know that we can depend on the residents, businesses and community organisations in the village to help us in delivering what’s set out for the benefit of Blackrock as a whole.
I would like to thank everyone involved in the production of the new Plan, including our own committee and volunteers, consultant Billy Flynn, Louth Leader Partnership, the LCDC and Louth County Council for the financial support through LEADER, and everyone who submitted ideas through the public consultation process’ he said.