Killarney town to get a health check

KERRY County Council, Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce and the IT Tralee have started work on a ‘Town Health Check’ for Killarney.

This is a collaborative process, which also includes the Heritage council and a number of goals are to be achieved in the coming months.

The ultimate aim of the project is to further improve the town centre in Killarney.

In the coming weeks, a number of surveys will be conducted with businesses and members of the public in the town centre.

These will address matters such as the behaviour and attitude of shoppers; business-owners’ perceptions; footfall and land use.

Vacancies in the town centre will also be a focus, as will tourism attitudes in the town given Killarney’s focus on this industry.

These surveys will be undertaken by students from IT Tralee.

Members of the public and business owners are encouraged to participate and give their views on their experiences in the town centre.

It is an opportunity to shape town centre and strengthen it into the future, to make it an attractive place to work, live and visit, according to Kerry County Council.

President of Killarney Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Paul Sherry said that it is a very detailed survey that will help Killarney access funding and improve services in the town and improve the town in general.

“This will help provide concrete information for the future of the town,” he said.

Previous health checks have been undertaken in Tralee and Listowel and have helped the local authority get a better understanding of the public’s and the businesses’ attitudes towards Killarney town centre and the role they play.

It is hoped the results of the programme will be published at some point in early 2020.

Kerry County Council added that the surveys’ findings will also help inform their strategies for the town centre.